


Wait for You

by Chartrocity



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Avengers - Freeform, Character Death, Explicit Language, F/M, Far from home, Female Reader, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Love, Marvel - Freeform, Marvel Spiderman, Mental Illness, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Plot, Reader-Insert, Reader-Interactive, Romance, Slow Burn, Tony Stark Mention, University AU, Violence, otto octavius - Freeform, reader - Freeform, spider-man alternate universe, spider-man au, spider-man far from home, spider-man homecoming - Freeform, spider-man/reader - Freeform, spiderverse, the spider-verse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-07
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2020-02-27 12:26:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 55,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18739006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chartrocity/pseuds/Chartrocity
Summary: "I can't help but be wrong in the dark, cause I'm overcome in this war of hearts"You have known Peter Parker since high school and have been inseparable ever since. You can't help but begin noticing some feelings coming up, though you feel he's distancing himself from you. Peter Parker is an easy book to read and you know when he's lying to you. You know he's keeping something from you and it's pushing you two apart.(University au. This is definitely going to be a slow burn with some angst and lots of fluff. It may lead into adult themes later, but that will be far into the story!)





	1. According to Plan

Dusk was falling over the city, people bustled out of buildings and traffic was heavy as it was prime commute hours. It had been a long day and all you wanted to do was go home. It had been another rough day at the Bugle with Jameson yelling at you about your, “total lack of respect” for the bugle. What could you say, you truly hated that job! You sat in your car with your fingers pressed to your temples, obviously irritated.

“Can this damn traffic let up already?” You mumbled to yourself. You swore you’d been stuck on this bridge for half an hour already and you had homework that was due tomorrow.

You could hear the honking from far ahead of you and that only heightened your annoyance. What was honking going to do? It certainly wouldn’t fix the problem. Your eyes narrowed when you swore you could feel your car begin to rattle, leaning your head against the headrest. You could only hope you could get this hunk of junk back home.

The rattle became a hard shake and you lifted your head, “what the—“ your eyes widened when you noticed a burly figure plowing through traffic, “o-oh my god!” You gasped when you saw a slimmer figure swing onto the large horned beast. 

You reached down and fiddled with your seatbelt— it was stuck! “Not this shit, please not right now!” You looked up and watched the red and blue clad man swing around in attempts to web up the rhino. Your eyes widened when he snapped out of the webbing and managed to knock the friendly neighborhood hero feet away.

“Spider-man!” You could hear people yelling as they got out of their cars and ran. You, however, were still stuck in your belt. You reached for your glove compartment as you always kept a knife that had a window breaker and a belt cutter as specs. You heard loud and fast steps and when you looked up, you realized it was too late.

With one massive push by the Rhino, your car was in the air. You sucked in a gasp of breath and your scream caught in your throat as you watched your surroundings flip around you. You could see the ocean beneath you coming closer and closer and you didn’t want to accept that this is where you would die.

A sharp scream came from you before the car jolted to a stop mid-air. Your hair was frazzled and tears fell from your cheeks as your fingers held onto the steering wheel for dear life. You slowly craned your neck around to look out your back window. The world around you was still spinning. As your vision blurred in and out, you discovered the reason you were propelled in midair.

“Y-You’ve gotta get out of the car!” Spider-man yelled, grunting in discomfort, “I can’t hold this thing forever!” He was hanging over the bars of the bridge holding tightly to the web that was now attached to the trunk of your car.

You stifled a breath and looked down, rubbing the cutter quickly against the fabric of the belt, “c-c’mon, c’mon...!” You whispered. When it cut through you let out a sigh of relief and without thinking you swung your door open.

You felt your car jolt, “whoa whoa whoa whoa!” You could hear the masked man yell as he struggled to hold the car up. Your gaze fell upon the webbing that was plastered across your trunk. If you could just get to your back seat then maybe—

With no time to properly plan the webbing began to stretch, parts of it beginning to tear, “you gotta hurry!” Called the superhero. Your tear-filled eyes flicked over him for a moment before you crawled back into your car.

“Just move slow,” you whispered to yourself as you maneuvered over the center console and slide into the back seat. A shaky breath came from you as you reach for the back door and carefully push it open. This time there was no harsh reaction. You carefully stand outside of the car and grip onto the metal for dear life. Now all you need to do is—

The web tears completely. With no warning, the car dove forward and the sudden thrust knocked you out of it and propelled you into free fall. A loud scream escaped from you as you squeezed your eyes shut, preparing yourself for a bone-crunching splash into the ocean below. Your breath left you in a sharp woosh when you were swooped out of your descent. Instead of feeling the cold water around you, you felt something warm.

You opened your teary eyes to gaze up at your savior, “gotcha!” He said triumphantly. You held onto him tightly as you felt the cold New York wind brush passed your cheeks. He swung you to the end of the bridge and carefully placed you back on your feet. You were speechless, “Uh— Sorry I couldn’t save your car too, Ma’am,” you opened your mouth to speak but were cut off by the screams of other civilians. Spider-man did a double take behind him before looking at you and offering a quick wave, “Gotta go—duty calls!” He turned and busted into a full sprint before leaping into the air and swinging toward danger once again.

“W-wait-!” You stepped forward though you nearly fell, your legs felt like jelly beneath you, “I wanted to thank you....” you mumbled and watched the chaos on the bridge. You turned and made a run for it, your legs trembling with each step.

You couldn’t believe it, you’d just been saved by the spider-man! You almost couldn’t wait to brag to your best friends tomorrow! Your thoughts came to a halt when you realized something. You no longer had a car! Your sprint slowed to a speed walk and your brows furrowed.

“I should call Pete,” you murmured to yourself, it was already getting late and the two of you usually carpooled to campus. You unzipped the pocket of your leather jacket and pulled your phone out, dialing your friend's number. 

His answer was almost immediate, “h-hello?” He sounded winded, “Peter? Are you okay?” Worry burned through you, perhaps he was also on the bridge! “U-uh— yeah, yeah! I’m just uh— working out, sorry!”

Your eyes narrowed, though you shrugged it off, “right, um, so like....” you tried to put your thoughts together, “Look it’s too long to explain right now and I’m still shaken up—“ you heard a loud sound from his end, “Peter?”

“Huh-what?” He sounded out of breath. You bit your lip, “Are you sure you’re okay?” His voice grew higher pitched, “what- me- yeah— no— yeah I’m fine! Just uh... just dukin’ it out with a punching bag!”

You sighed, not wanting to pester him with anymore questions, “Right... anyway, I don’t have a car for the time being, I don’t know if you want to just walk together or take a cab—“ you were cut off by him exclaiming, “yeah— yeah we can walk, uh, hey y/n, can we talk about this later I’m kind of tied up right now.”

You briefly sighed and nodded, “yeah, yeah sure, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” You mumbled and without a response, he hung up. You looked at your phone and sighed, what was he up to now? You didn’t want to think he was lying to you but you just worried about him.

The two of you had been friends since high school and he’s the reason you’re so close to Ned and MJ as well. You always worried about him as he was always disappearing out of the blue and coming back so frazzled. You’d never forget the stories Ned told you about how spider-man saved them after the decathlon. You remember asking where Peter was and him going pale in the face and shrugging, quickly changing the subject.

It took about an hour to walk to your apartment building, trudging up the steps and sighing, “home sweet home,” you sighed as you slumped down onto the couch. Your roommates had left a note on the kitchen counter explaining that they’d be out bar hopping this evening. You didn’t mind, you enjoyed the peace and had homework to do anyway. 

You trudged into your room and slowly pulled your uniform off, deciding to slip into something far more comfortable. You dipped your head and pulled your hair into a sloppy bun, standing up straight and pulling your laptop from your bed. You heard your phone ding when you made your way back to the couch. 

Peter: Hey! Sorry for cutting you off before

You stared at the screen of your phone, unsure of what to say. You didn’t quite mind, but you did worry about him. He had always welcomed you with open arms since you met him in high school. You sighed quietly and picked up the phone, sinking into the couch.

Y/N: It’s okay, how was the workout?

Peter: exhausting, I’m home now

You raised a brow, how was he already home, it’d been like ten minutes and the gym is definitely at least fifteen minutes away.

Y/n: dude, were you like sprinting home when I called you?

You gasped after a few minutes, he’d left you on read! You rolled your eyes and leaned back into the couch and pulling your laptop into your lap.

——————

The vibrate on your phone startled you awake. You looked around and rubbed your eyes. You look down at your phone that was inches away from your thigh and reach for it. It takes you a moment to get used to the light of the screen.

Peter: It’s a long story.

Peter: Did you finish the chem homework?

Peter: My guess is that you fell asleep.

The barrage of texts brought a small smile to your cheeks. You glanced at the time and noticed it was only nine o’ clock. You had done about half of the problems you were assigned, though you knew there was no way you’d be able to finish the other half without help. You already struggled with the class, in fact, you purposely took it with Peter because he was the only one who could ever explain things well enough for you to understand.

Y/N: Hey, are you up?

Peter: yea, what’s up?

Y/N: can you swing by and help me with the homework? Most of it is done but I took an accidental nap. Lol.

Y/N: I’ll treat you to lunch tomorrow.

————

There was a knock not too long later at your door. You hopped up and skipped to the door, swinging it open and smiling ear to ear when you noticed the brunette man before you. “Hey, Pete!” You hummed, moving away to allow him room to walk through the doorway.

“You know the work is due at midnight, right?” You froze and slowly turned your head. He laughed when he saw the dumbfounded expression on your face, “what do you have so far?” 

You swallowed hard and reached for your laptop, putting your password in and handing it to him with a hard swallow, “it’s like halfway done,” you looked up at him and watched his brows furrow and his eyes narrow. He looked absolutely focused on double checking her work and it was honestly a cute look. You snapped back to reality when he chuckled, “well, you got two of them right.”

Your heart broke, “two..?” You let out a loud exasperated sigh and slumped back into the couch, “Peter! I’m gonna fail this class, it’s too stressful I don’t know how to do any of this!”

Peter leaned over and set the laptop on the coffee table. “H-hey no listen, I’ll help you!” He looked at you with that warm, dorky smile of his. He must have seen how upset you were by the deep-set frown on your cheeks, he shifted uncomfortably and cleared his throat. “C’mon, when have I let you down?” You looked up at him with a raised brow and you both snickered, “yeah— yeah don’t answer that. Let’s get started on this though.” You couldn’t agree more. You just wanted to get this class over with.

————

Again, you found yourself waking up with a large stretch. All you remembered before falling asleep was pressing the submit button on your class website and rolling over to offer Peter a celebratory high five. You shifted where you laid and sat up slowly, furrowing your brows when you noticed you were in your room. You turned your head and reached for your phone only to find a note on top of it.

Hey, you fell asleep on the floor so I took you to your room. See you in the morning! -P.P.

You couldn’t contain your smile. You brushed a strand of hair away from your face as you shuffled out of bed to get dressed for the day. Peter was definitely a special person to you. He always went above and beyond to help you in day to day tasks. You appreciated him.

A sudden buzz from your phone interrupted your thoughts.

Peter: Did you see the email professor sent?

Your brow raised at his question. The excitement began to stir in the pits of your empty stomach as you flicked out of the messaging app and into your email. You were quick to pump your fist once you read that today's class would be canceled. 

Y/N: Now I did! I’m so siked. Finally a day off

Peter: I forgot that we both only have one class on Mondays

Peter: Why don’t we all go hang out? Ned only has class on t/th 

You bubble with excitement.

Y/N: I owe you lunch anyways! You get Ned and meet me at my place in an hour!

Peter: roger that

. . .  
The time passed quickly thanks to how much time you took to get ready. You applied a full face of makeup and pulled your hair into a high ponytail. It wasn’t every day you got to dress up, so you took the opportunity to do so today. 

You posed in front of your body length mirror and smiled, happy with today's look. You donned a floor-length navy blue sundress with your favorite pair of flats as shoes. It was a sunny day out so you were excited to be able to finally wear this. This winter was definitely a harsh one so some sun was much needed.

You scooped up a small black purse and peeked at your phone, seeing a missed call from Peter ten minutes ago. “Oops...” you mumbled to yourself, formulating a text as you began to walk toward the front door.

You opened the door and before you could send your text you bumped into a taller figure. A gentle gasp came from you. Your gaze flickered up to the man before you and you were instantly reassured.

“Pete!” Your smile seemed contagious as he mirrored yours soon after, “sorry i took so long,” you glanced down and back up at him when you noticed his rather stylish outfit, “uh... oh— where’s ned?”

He pulled his hands from his pockets and scratched the back of his head, “It turns out he had to do a group project today, it’s just gonna be us today,” he awkwardly giggled. 

You certainly didn’t mind this, after all, he was your closest friend. You shrugged and shut the door behind you, “that’s fine, I have something crazy to tell you anyway!”

You could see his piqued curiosity, “You might not believe me but uh— did you see the whole thing on the news last night about rhino?”

You glanced at him as the two of you headed toward the elevator. You swore you noticed his jaw clench, “uh... yeah I heard about that actually, why w-what happened?” He swallowed hard and pressed the button to call the lift to their floor.

You cleared your throat, “well, I so happened to be there and uh,” you began to fidget with your fingers, “well I don’t exactly have a car now but...” You took a deep breath, “I don’t even care about that right now— Spiderman saved my life, I got flung off the bridge and he came to my rescue.”

“You don’t say?”

“Peter!” You nudged his arm with your elbow, walking into the elevator once the doors opened, “I’m being serious! I could’ve died!”

“Wh- no I didn’t mean it like t-that I’m sorry...” you couldn’t stay mad at him with those puppy eyes.

“It’s fine,” you shrugged and pressed the floor level button, “but anyways, I have to save up for a new car now,” you sighed, “at least I’m alive. If it weren’t for you I’d be pretty screwed too.”

The brunette turned his head to look at you, curious. “What?”

“The homework...?”

“O-oh! R-right the homework!”

You rolled your eyes, “C’mon, you need an energy drink; stat!”

The two of you made your way out of the elevator and out of the apartment complex. You took a deep breath, the warmth was certainly something you needed. The two of you were silent for most of the walk, though that wasn’t anything new. You did tend to get caught up in your surroundings and Peter knew you too well to distract you.

“Are you okay, by the way?”

His question caught you off guard. You glanced up at him with a confused smile, “Hm?” your brow furrowed.

“The whole thing that happened yesterday--”

“Oh--”

“I didn’t mean to make it into a joke earlier. I know your car is gone but are you--”

You nudged him in the side with your elbow, “You’re fine! I’m fine, don’t worry about it, Pete!” He offered a tight smile, it seemed forced. He was always such a worry wart, “Peter don’t look like that, there’s nothing you could’ve done, you were at the gym,” you shrugged, “anyways, I don’t think it would have worked out very well anyways, Spider-man only has two hands so unless he can shoot webs from his feet then uh,” you snickered, “Only one of us would’ve made it out of that, I think we both know who that one would be, too.”

“Now wait a minute--!” the two of you shared a long laugh before he continued, “I’m just glad you’re okay.” 

You heard his deep sigh but you decided not to press on. Sometimes you really didn’t know what to say to him to make him feel any better. You always worried about how much he worried about others. You feared it could get him into some serious trouble, but you thought that he was smart enough not to do anything brash.

“Anyway, how about we grab a coffee and some breakfast sandwiches from the cafe and do somethin--”

You were interrupted by a ding coming from Peters phone. You both glanced toward his pocket and you watched as he looked at his phone. 

Please don’t cancel, Please don’t bail.

“U-uh- actually,” Great, “A-Aunt May just texted, she’s uh,” he looked back at his phone, “She’s really sick and asked me to get her some medicine,” he shoved his phone back into his pocket, “Can we uh...rain check?” he looked at you with his brows upturned, a sad look in his eyes.

You couldn’t stand him and that damn puppy face, “You’re too sweet, Pete,” you shrugged, “Go, your Aunt needs you. We can do something later. I should probably get to work on my photography homework anyway.” he offered a small smile in response.

“You’re the best! I’ll text you!” he waved his hand and turned, running into the other direction.

And you simply watched him. Your smile faded and you sighed to yourself. You adored his friendship, but this wasn’t the first time he’s done this. Perhaps Aunt May really was sick, who were you to say? You didn’t want to think he was lying, so you simply left it at that and began the short trek back to your apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first fic i've written in years, I'm so beyond happy that it's getting so much love. I'm glad you guys are enjoying it as much as I'm enjoying writing it! It was a passion project started to make me feel happy and now I just can't stop writing, I have so many ideas and I really can't wait for you guys to see! >)


	2. Honest

The day was still rather young so you decided not to waste your time. About an hour ago you had pulled out the bag that held all of your camera equipment and made your way to the park. Your assignment was of some nature stills so here you were.

The beauty of the day attracted many families and couples to the park this particular day, you only hoped no one would bug you or accidentally get into your shot. You walked around and admired the nature around you. The smell of pollen was thick in the air, bees buzzing by and a large tree above you cast a cool shadow beneath you.

Where would you even begin? You took this photography class for a strict reason; you wanted to take the easiest class to graduate. However, you may or may not have been biased because you were also a photographer on the side for the Bugle.

You noticed a bundle of small daisies sprouting out at the trunk of a large tree, so you decided you’d start here. The thick bark would make a lovely backdrop and you didn’t even have to worry about people getting into your shot. Score! 

You carefully moved to your knees and set your camera bag down, unzipping it and withdrawing the large camera. You slipped the strap around your neck and raised the sight up to your eye, glancing through the peephole. You held your breath and took the shot, pulling the camera away and glancing at the photo on the digital screen.

The details were beautiful, you could see the small bits of pollen clinging to the core of the flower. This was perfect. You really only needed a few more to complete the assignment. You could hear people bustling around you, but you ignored it. Instead, you laid down in the cool grass and lifted your camera again, aiming straight up. The leaves on this tree were simply beautiful, it was plentiful.

“What’s going on?” You could hear the chatter of a family nearby.

“Is there a robbery?” Your ears perked up, finally deciding to listen.

Slowly, you sat up and looked around, noticing everyone's eyes locked onto a corner store. Outside of it, there was an all black car, even its windows were tinted. People were running out of it in a hurry, every single one looking panicked. 

You rose to your feet if you could just get a little closer and snap some pictures... You’d finally have something good for James at the Bugle! 

You pulled the camera bag on and found yourself pacing straight toward the believed crime. The closer you got, the more you could hear yelling inside. You stood by a telephone pole close to the car you suspected was the getaway vehicle. Was there someone inside or was this a solo plan? You raised your camera and snapped a photo of the back of the car, grinning.

“Can’t get away if someone has your plate number...” you whisper to yourself. You let the camera fall back against your chest and just as you were about to put on a brave front and sneak inside, you see a blur of blue and red swing into the store, “Spider-man!” You gasp under your breath.

Your brows furrow when you notice the driver side door open. You rushed the car and ducked behind the trunk, leaning over and peeking underneath the carriage of the car. You see a larger man shut the door as quietly as he could. You leaned over to peek around the corner and your hand shoots to your mouth when you see the pistol in his hand. You watch helplessly as he tiptoes into the store, obviously trying to foil Spider-mans plan.

You _had_ to do something. He saved your life, you _have_ to help him. “Okay... big breath Y/N...” you whisper to yourself.

You better get a huge promotion if you manage to get a shot of this. You stood up partially, staying low to avoid being seen and rushed into the store. 

“Seriously? I know chips are expensive but do you have to _rob_ the place?” The masked man teased. 

“J-just get outa here m-man! You don’t know w-what’s up!” The man aimed the gun at the superhero and you could hear the mechanic eyes on his suit narrowing. 

He didn’t see the man sneaking up behind him with his gun pointed at his head. God... _what do you do_? Think... think! If you scream that could result in him getting shot— or the assailant panicking and turning to shoot you. You looked around and ducked behind one of the aisles of snacks.

_idea_

“Just put the gun down, we can walk out of this man,” Spider-man was trying to talk him down.

You pushed your hands passed some of the hanging treats and began to put pressure— _damn_ this thing was heavy!

“You don’t know what he’ll do to me if I don’t get him his fuckin’ money man!” The robber yelled back, shaking his gun.

“Who—?”

“J-Just fuckin’ shoot him, bro!”

You could swear time moved slower at this point. You could hear the slight whirr of spider-mans eyes widening again and the cocking of a gun. You closed your eyes and grunted loudly as you slammed your body into the aisle.

The whole thing came crashing down and you could see spider-man flipping out of the way. Two gunshots rang through the store, a scream echoing from you as you fell over with the aisle, covering your head with your arms in the floor. You bit your lip when you heard the sound of something clacking on the ground and a soft thwip of something else.

“You uh— you alright there miss?” You lifted your head slowly, tears pricking in your eyes, “No one ever runs head first into a robbery, well... besides me but that’s a different story,” you could hear the hero chuckle as he reached down and helped you up.

When he got a good look at your face you could see those eyes of his suit narrowing, as if scanning your face. You wiped your eyes and looked around, seeing one man propelled off of the ceiling with a single thick web, his mouth covered by one as well. The other man seemed unconscious under the aisle, both guns webbed to the floor as well.

Your gaze flicked back onto him and you offered a wide, geeky smile, tears falling down your cheeks. Well? Thank the man, c’mon!

“We gotta get you outa here,” he put a hand on your shoulder, guiding you toward the door.

“Wait!” You both stopped, “t-thank you,” you murmured, staring up at him, “you really saved me before— a-and you didn’t need to but you did,” the fact that you nearly died was finally starting to set in for you, “s-so thank you...”

He stood there silent for a long moment before he turned his head, “I-I wouldn’t be a friendly neighborhood Spider-man if I saw you falling off a bridge and did nothin’ about it!” He made light of the mood. This brought a smile to your damp cheeks.

You could hear sirens nearing the establishment and when the two of you walked outside you noticed something big.

“Aw c’mon!” Spider-man put a hand to his forehead and heaved a heavy sigh. The vehicle was gone.

You raised your head, looking up at him, “a picture!” You blurted out, “uh— I mean I have a picture, I snapped one before I came in!”

He dropped his hand and a small “yes!” Of excitement came from him before he cleared his throat, taking a superhero stance and obviously trying to puff his chest out “i-i mean uh— do you think you can stick around to hand that evidence over to the NYPD?”

You smiled up at the hero, feeling like a hero yourself for being able to help with his lead, “of course, spidey!” You hummed, noticing him lift a hand to his ear.

The long silence between the two of you was cut short by the police and ambulance pulling up to the scene. The sirens were deafening.

“L-listen, I have to go there’s something going on downtown but uh-“ he offered a wave when he began running backward, “I’ll see ya around— thanks for the hel—oof-!” You gasped when his breath was taken out of him. He slammed back first into a street light. You watched the suited man turn around and pat it for a second before glancing at you then looking away, jumping up and beginning to swing away. He was definitely something.

————————

A few hours had passed and you were walking out of the precinct. You were taken in for some questioning and gave the deputies the photo of the license plate. Honestly, the whole experience was rather stressful. You were glad to be out of there. You hopped down the steps and withdrew your phone from the camera bag, seeing the time was now 5:00 p.m.

You were starving, you really hadn’t eaten today but you never really had the time to. You didn’t want to go out quite yet though, you needed to save money for lunch with Peter and payday wasn’t for another week. Perhaps you had something at home that you could cook. You dreaded the heat in your apartment, though, perhaps you’d make something simple and take it onto the roof for some routine stargazing. That sounded like a brilliant idea to you.

On your walk home you couldn’t stop thinking about the robbery. The man sounded scared for his life, but why? He made it clear that the money he was taking wasn’t meant for him, but who would it be for? Your brows furrowed, deep in thought.

There really was always something new happening in this city. Perhaps it was more gang activity? All she knew was that this was something more than just a robbery. The worst part was, they got away in the end. 

You stopped at the corner and raised your head, frowning when you came to a realization. You had no clue how to get home from here. The police escorted you in their car and you had the worst sense of direction around. It wasn’t too far of a drive— maybe you could find your way back to the park, you’d know how to get home from there!

Minutes turned into an hour and you were still hopelessly lost. The sky was beginning to dim as the moon reclaimed its place in the sky. All you wanted to do was go home and eat. You sighed and ran your fingers through your long hair, jumping when you heard a cough behind you. You held your camera tight as you slowly turned to look behind you, but you didn’t see anyone at first.

“You uh... you’re looking a little lost—“ you shot your gaze up to see the familiar suited face perched on a street lamp above, “need some help?”

You were rather taken aback, “are you stalking me?” 

“What— no i— i was in the neighborhood!” He dropped down with a soft thud against the ground, taking a few steps closer to you, “I’m glad I was because somehow I sincerely doubt that you’re still going for a stroll after what happened today,” he crossed his arms over his chest.

He was pretty tall compared to you and his suit hugged and accentuated every part of him, it would be an understatement to say that it fits him well. “Well, your assumption is right,” you looked at your phone, “And none of my friends have a car and uh, one of them would probably worry sick if I told him I was lost.” You rubbed your arm.

There was a brief silence.

“Do you get motion sick?”

“E-excuse me?”

He put his hand to his head and you could hear a faint laugh escape from him, “do you get nauseous easily?”

“...not exactly, why?” 

“Well,” he dropped his hands to his side, “if you promise not to puke on me I can give you a swing home.” 

The offer threw you off. It was far too kind, though he _was_ the friendly neighborhood Spider-man, so what could you expect? You took a step forward, “if you promise not to do any of those fancy flips you do, we have a deal.”

You could almost see him smiling through the mask. He reached forward, pausing and looking at you, “is it okay if I..?” 

He was asking for your permission to grab you? And here you thought chivalry was dead. You laughed quietly and nodded. His response was sudden. He scooped you into his arms and adjusted you, bursting into a sprint forward.

“W-wait wait—“ you suddenly lost your cool. You didn’t really think much about how high you’d be up until this moment. You really needed to learn to control your impulses. “H-holy shit!” You yipped when you were suddenly in the air.

You wrapped your arms around him, squeezing your eyes shut and burying your face into his shoulder. After a long few moments of swinging through the air, you felt less worried. He had a good grip of you, it was impressive. Slowly, you lifted your head and looked around, surprised. 

You’ve seen him on T.V. before swinging at skyscraper level, but this time was different. He seemed to be staying much lower for you and you appreciated the thought. This was one hell of a way to get home. 

“So are you gonna tell me where you live?” He laughed.

“Oh!” How foolish of you, “sorry, yeah, I live off of west 38th and 9th Avenue,” you turned your head to look at the world skimming by behind you.

Again there was a silence. You found yourself wondering how you would tell this to your friends, but you also knew that worried look Peter would get. He’d never admit it but you knew he was always thinking of his friend's well-being. He worried too much sometimes and you were sure of it.

“What you did back at the corner store,” you flicked your gaze over the masked mans face, “that was really brave of you, I have to thank you,” you smiled, but before you had time to reply he added a snippy, “do you always get yourself into weird situations?”

“What can I say, danger seems to really fancy my company,” you joked in reply. After a few minutes of swinging you pointed, “it’s that one, you can take me to the roof, i’d rather not get the attention of anyone down below!”

“Are you saying you’re ashamed to be seen with me?” He snickered after you nudged him with your fist.

The landing was surprisingly soft, but when he set you down you felt as if you were going to melt into the roof. Your legs shook and he seemed to notice, he held your arms tight for a moment to allow you to gather your bearings.

“Thank you, Spider-man,” you glanced up at him, noticing his suited eyes pinching inward again.

“I hope this is the last I’ll have to see you,” the raised brow you gave him made him fix his statement, “I-I mean I hope if I run into you again it’s on better terms.”

You placed your hands on your hips, “So you _don’t_ like saving me? Wow, that’s cold-hearted!” You stuck your tongue out, laughing when you noticed him tense up.

“Anyways—!” He turned and walked toward the edge of the building, “I should get going, the city never sleeps!” 

You took a large stride forward when he climbed up on the edge, “thank you, for everything!” You called toward him.

He glanced over his shoulder before looking ahead, taking a step off of the building. And with that, he was gone. You rushed toward the edge and placed your palms where he stood, looking around. 

A smile crossed your cheeks and you turned, walking toward the door to get back down to your room when your phone buzzed. You withdrew it from your bag and looked at it.

Peter: May is making spaghetti, you down to join?

You couldn’t contain your smile.

Y/N: I’ll be there in ten!

———————

You were glad Peter lived so close to you, it made spontaneous hangouts so much easier on the two of you. It didn’t take long for you to arrive at their home but your stomach thought otherwise. Right as you knocked you felt your stomach growl rather loudly. 

The door swung open, “oh, y/n! I’m so glad you made it!” You found yourself deep in Aunt May’s embrace, “Come in, Petey is in the shower and dinner is almost done!” 

You followed her in, shutting the door behind you and kicking off your shoes. It was so homey here, you forgot how much you loved coming over here. It was way better than your small shared apartment. You were sure Aunt May loved the company, too. You took your camera bag off and withdrew your phone, setting the bag next to the couch before you found a seat at the dining table.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better, May,” you looked at her, “Was it just a stomach bug or something?”

The middle-aged woman glanced over her shoulder and pushed her glasses up the bridge of your nose, “what’re you talking about, hun?” She giggled.

You raised a brow, “Pete said-- you know-- nevermind,” you laughed, “I must have confused it for someone else, forget about it,” you could hear Aunt May giggle, but you weren’t really in a laughing mood much anymore.

How many more lies would Peter tell you? You didn’t want to be as upset as you were, but this wasn’t the first, the second, or even the third time he has lied straight to your face. You hated when he lied. What was he even hiding in the first place?

“Oh, y/n, you’re here already.” You looked over your shoulder to see Peter walking down the hall in a pair of joggers and a black shirt that had some sort of joke about asymptotes on it.

“Mmhmm,” you looked ahead, standing up and walking over to Aunt May’s side, “here, let me help you, May.”

Peter raised a brow and walked over, “I’ll get the silverware if you get the bowls.” 

You were already pulling bowls out of the cupboard. You turned and set them on the table, “So Pete, did your store run go well?”

Both May and Peter snapped their heads toward you. Peter looked like he’d seen a ghost as he looked back and forth between you and Aunt May, “Why didn’t you tell me you went to the store, I could’ve used some things.”

The brunette swallowed hard and you raised a brow, waiting for his response, “It’s uh-- I had to pick something up for a surprise actually,” he met eyes with you, brows furrowing, “F-for Ned.” 

“Oh, well that’s sweet of you, Pete!” Aunt May chimed as she pulled the pot off of the stove and set it on the center of the dining table, she was sure to place it on some pot holders so it wouldn’t overheat the wood.

Dinner was relatively quiet, every so often Aunt May would ask a question to try to add some conversation to the dinner table but the topics would always fall short. It was quite possibly the tensest you’ve felt a room be in a long time. You eased a sigh as the evening began to come to a close for you and you washed your dish once you completed your meal.

“Thank you Aunt May, it was really good,” you offered her a cheerful smile, after all she did nothing to earn your attitude, “but I really have to get going, I have some homework to finish.” you walked over and grabbed your camera case, hoisting it over your shoulder.

“Here, I’ll walk you home,” Peter stood up, “let me just get some--”

“It’s fine,” you were already at the door, “I’ll catch up with you tomorrow, Pete.”

And with that, you were out the door. Peter chewed his cheeks, he knew he messed up this time. He got caught in a lie, and the worst part was that it wasn’t even the first time. He knew how upset it made you and he really wished it didn’t need to be this way. He didn’t want to put you in any more danger, he already had to save you twice in the past week and it scared him. It was unfair to you, you didn’t deserve to be put in those harmful situations and yet the second time you chose to come in to try to protect him. 

Peters jaw tightened as he ran to his room and haphazardly slipped on his shoes, “I’ll be back!” he called, running out the front door and looking both ways before he saw you just about a block down.

He jogged to catch up, thankful that you were walking at an easy pace, “y/n!” he called for you and watched your shoulders tense before you looked over your shoulder at him with a heavy frown, “h-hey!” he ran up to you, catching his breath.

“Why did you lie?”

“Wh-”

“I don’t want another lie or some bull-shit excuse,” you turned away and clutched the strap of the camera bag, “I don’t care that you had somewhere to go, I don’t care that you left, I just care that you lied to me, again,” Peters brows were upturned, “I just want you to tell me the truth.”

He was silent for a long moment. He couldn’t tell you, he didn’t want you to get hurt. He looked down, “I-I just can’t tell you right now,” he looked at you with sadness in his eyes, “Maybe one day, but I’m just uh...I’m going through some stuff right now and I just..can’t really talk about it right now...”

“Peter,” You turned to face him completely, “you can tell me that, you can always tell me that, I understand,” you took a step closer, “I get it, we’re in our twenties, we’re in school, and we have shit going on in our lives, but please tell me,” she looked down, “I feel like you’ve been pushing me away.”

“What-- no- no I didn’t mean--”

“You may not have,” you cut him off and turned away, “but Peter, when you blow me off and lie to me, what else am I supposed to think?” 

“I’m sorry,” Peter whispered. He wished he could take it all back, he wished that balancing out his life as Spider-man and his life as Peter Parker was easier. He wished he didn’t have to lie to you all the time, he really did.

“Just promise me you’ll tell me the truth next time,” you peered up at him and noticed his tense figure. 

He nodded after a long moment, “I promise,” he glanced at you, “I’m sorry, I won’t lie to you again.” 

Your smile seemed to reassure him, “thank you, Peter,” you whispered, “I work all day tomorrow and If I remember right you’re with Doctor Otto, right?”

He looked at you and began to walk forward, guiding you along the path back to your home, “Yeah, we’re making a breakthrough in some of the tech there.”

You glanced up at him, “do you want to grab dinner after? I still owe you and a nice dinner after a long day of work is always nice.”

Peter smiled and nodded slowly, “Yeah, Yeah I think that would be nice,” he glanced at you as you both walked around the corner, “I’m sorry, again,” he murmured as the two of you walked up to your apartment complex.

You looked back at him and smiled, “It’s fine, Pete, just remember our promise, okay?” you smiled at him and he nodded quickly, but you still noticed how tense he was, “Goodnight, Pete.”

And with that he watched you walk inside. He clenched his jaw and turned around, beginning to head back home. How was he supposed to be honest with you? He’d have to find a better way to work around his Spidey career. He wished there could be another way, he was beginning to question himself and why he would even offer his personality to her as Spider-man? He promised you the truth, but he had no idea how he was going to give that to you.

Tomorrow would be a new day. Tomorrow, he’d be more careful around you, he promised himself that much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh thank you guys so much for the positivity! This is a passion project and it makes me so happy to see it actually getting views and stuff! I'm gonna update as often as I can, my off days are going to give me more time to update. ;u; please let me know what you think in the comments, I really do love hearing your thoughts! I'm mixing the universes a little bit, Peter is definitely imagined as the peter from Homecoming/Far from Home (i.e. Tom hollands peter parker) but in order to put more into the story, I'm adding in characters that universe hasn't quite seen. I have a lot planned, prepare yourselves >)


	3. Crybaby

Another beautiful day in New York, Peter sat perched at the edge of a high roof sporting his suit. In one hand he held an apple, in the other his phone. He felt horrible after getting called out for lying to y/n. He felt so bad that he’d tossed and turned all night, anxious about what she thought about him now.

“Karen?” he mumbled after taking a large bite out of the apple.

“Yes Peter?”

It took a moment for him to respond to the suits A.I., “I really screwed up, I hate living this double life sometimes.” 

Karen had no response to this. Thoughts of “what if” rattled through Peters mind and he wished he could get them out. He loved being Spider-man but he hated some of the consequences that came with it. He wanted to live a normal life, too, but he feared that would never happen. He loved his friends, but he knew what his life as a hero brought. He couldn’t just bring them all into that, he already brought Ned in and look how much danger it put him through? He couldn’t possibly bring anyone else in.

“Sometimes I just wonder if the world really needs a friendly neighborhood Spider-man,” he looked up at the sky, taking another loud bite from his apple.

“Peter,” Karen’s almost maternal voice kicked in, “anyone can wear a suit, not everyone can be a hero,” she reminded him, “you are the reason so many people are alive today, you saved your friend back on the bridge, remember? It was simply a coincidence that she was on the bridge when the circumstance arose.”

She did have a point. He looked below at the open garbage can and dropped the core of the apple, hearing it thud against the hard metal. He slowly rose to his feet and pulled his mask down over his chin once more, “What if I have to lie again? She’s not going to be able to forgive me after that.”

He hopped a few times as if he were warming himself up before reaching forward and shooting a web, jumping and swinging off of the building, “You can’t keep a secret forever, it’s nearly impossible,” it was the truth, but boy did it hurt, “you should prepare yourself in advance and decide, Peter.”

“D-decide?” He swallowed hard as he soared through the city, “decide what?”

“Decide how you want her to find out,” he felt his heart jump, “Theoretically, if you tell her yourself I’m sure her response would be a lot better than her finding out through lies.”

He hated how often Karen was right, but he was also thankful for her input. He sighed and landed not too long later, “I guess I have to figure out what I want to do then,” he pulled his mask off and ripped the backpack he wore off, needing to change before he went inside to meet with Doctor Otto.

\----------------------------

Heat waves were rolling in rather early this year. There was still another month until Summer hit and yet here it was, nearly ninety degrees. The worst part was that the Bugle had little to no air conditioners. The building was far outdated and you and many other employees made note of it each and every day. 

You couldn’t let yourself get too distracted though, you had a case you wanted to crack. You had a sneaking suspicion that the robbery yesterday was part of some larger, more organized crime. If this was true and you could crack the mystery then you were sure you’d get close to getting a promotion. You also really just wanted to show off your skills and make Jameson feel bad for ever looking down on you.

Most of your shift consisted of framing photos for articles, phone calls, and short conversations with your coworkers. However, you used as much time as you could in-between tasks to do some research. Through some quick web searching you discovered that the two men that were taken into custody after yesterday's events were both linked to the Maggia. This was certainly a surprise to you, you always thought the Maggia was long gone, but apparently not.

Through further research you’d discovered that there had been a large spike in crime in the past several years, most of it linking to the Maggia as well. Great, you knew that these goons were working with the Maggia, but that opened up a bigger concern. Why the hell would they be robbing a corner store? The only reason you could come up with was perhaps these specific people owed the Maggia something? 

You sighed and leaned over, clicking the button to turn the old metal fan on your desk on. The humidity in this building made it hard to think, let alone breathe. You simply couldn’t wrap your head around it. You needed something more, there wasn’t enough evidence to make any sort of claim or even come up with any ideas at this point. You tapped a pen against your desk while skimming through an article you found online about yesterday's robbery when it hit you.

“That’s it!”

You peeled your phone off of the desk and opened up the notes to type a reminder. If you could find any information about the car you took a picture of, maybe you could get more insight. You glanced at the clock on your computer and noticed your shift was coming to a close. Researching on the clock certainly was a pleasure, it made the time go by rather quick and you got paid for it. 

Peter: Hey, were you still up for those dinner plans?

The text caught you off guard. In all honesty it brought a smile to your face when you read it and you were quick to swipe left and hit reply.

Y/n: of course I am, I actually had an even better idea.

Peter: and that is?

Y/n: Joe’s pizza, my place, and weird underground movies

Peter: Oh no, your roomates hated us after our last round of movies

You couldn’t contain your laugh. Last time Peter and you had a movie night you’d come across some strange movie about a snake goddess who was torn from her snake lover and turned into a human. It was...interesting to say the least.

Y/n: Tess and Sara are out bar hopping tonight so we can blast the movies at full volume!

Y/n: my neighbors are absolutely going to hate us.

You decided it’d be good to hurry and pack up, you didn’t want to leave Peter waiting out there for long. You raised your head when you saw a figure standing in front of your desk, smiling when you noticed it was just your coworker, Eddie.

“Thanks for proofreading my piece, y/n, it prints tomorrow and it looks way better than it did yesterday,” he lifted a piece of paper with the preview of his piece that would be printed in tomorrow's paper.

You smiled as you pushed your things into your book bag, “No problemo, Ed,” you smiled up at him, “It’s your first publication, right?” 

“Yep. Finally got something under Jamesons nose. It feels good to finally get the recognition I deserve,” he paused when he noticed you tense up, “Hey, now that I’m in the published club maybe I can get you in.”

You eased a sigh and reached over to log yourself off of the computer, “that sounds nice, Eddie, but I’d rather get there on my own,” you pulled your book bag over your shoulder and glanced up at him, “but thank you, I appreciate your offer, I really do.”

He offered a curt nod, “Whatever you need, I’ve got your back, y/n,” he turned and began toward the exit, “speaking of which,” he glanced over his shoulder, “do you need a ride home or anything?”

You pushed your seat in and followed him, “I actually am walking home with Peter, but thank you,”

“Home with Pete, hm?” 

“Shut up, we’re just having a movie night--” you gasped at the cocky smirk and raised brow he offered you, “Oh my god- Eddie! It’s not like that,” you laughed and pushed him.

“Two college students in their twenties, one apartment, alone I presume,” the look you gave him only confirmed his thoughts, “Oh come on! That is like the perfect situation for--”

“Eddie, enough,” you sighed, pinching your eyebrows together as the two of you exited the building.

“I’m just kiddin’. Anyways, I’ll see you around, y/n,” he offered a wave as he walked in the other direction.

You appreciated his kindness, but sometimes he was just too....pushy with certain ideas. 

“Y/n, hey!” You heard the familiar voice of none other than Peter Parker.

“Pete! God, I am so ready for some pizza,” you turned your head and motioned for him to follow you, “I did so much work today and I feel like I haven’t even scratched the surface.”

“You have a new scoop?”

“I do,” you hummed as you adjusted your bag over your shoulder, “There was a robbery yesterday that I may or may not have been a witness of,” you glanced over to notice him staring at you with those big eyes of his, “I’m fine, obviously, but I don’t think it was just a robbery.”

He clenched his jaw, looking ahead, “That’s a big claim, do you have any evidence for that?”

You gave a slow nod, “Well, they were underlings from the Maggia to start,” he looked at you, surprised by this information, “But that’s really all the information I got... if I can just find the car before the investigators do—“

“Maybe you should leave that to the professionals—“ you snapped your head to look at him, he was quick to jump to his defense, “I-I mean I know you want that promotion but getting tangled with the Maggia isn’t a joke,” he scratched the back of his neck and looked ahead, “I’m just saying that maybe there’s... y’know... another scene you could cover that doesn’t have to do with the Maggia...?”

“Peter...” your brows furrowed, you wished he was right but with Jonah you had to go above and beyond to even catch his positive side, “I can’t write anything about Spider-man’s doings, Jameson hates his guts so he only wants to slander the guy,” you crossed your arms as you walked, “I’m gonna shoot for this, I really have a good feeling about it.”

He glanced at you and even though you weren’t looking at him he could tell how passionate you were about this. You wanted this. But he knew it wasn’t just about the promotion, it was something else. He could see your curiosity, your need to do something more. It almost scared him a little. He just didn’t want you to get into anymore danger.

He sighed, “I get it,” your head lifted in surprise, “I support you, just don’t get in too much trouble, okay?”

You could feel your heart skip a beat. You truly felt that if it were anyone else they’d think you were crazy. What would you do without him? You smiled and looked down, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear.

———————

Hours had passed and you and Peter were relaxing on the pull out futon in the living room. You laid on opposite sides of the futon with the pizza box splitting a space between the two of you.

You leaned your head back and sighed, “I feel like I lost ten brain cells from that movie,” you grunted with a laugh.

Peter couldn't contain his laughter, nodding in agreement, “Do they even try to follow a solid plot line?” 

You rolled your eyes and stood up, “did you want anymore for now? I’m gonna put it on the counter if you don’t,” his head shake confirmed it for you.

You pulled the plates from the cushions and balanced the box on your other arm, taking it into the kitchen. You put the dishes into the sink and set the box on the counter, peeking your head out of the kitchen to see Peter on the phone.

“I never asked,” he tore his gaze off of the screen to look at you, “how was your day? You said you and Otto were onto something, right?”

He smiled at your question and nodded, “Yeah, he’s working on these automated limbs, they’re starting to come together but we only have so much time before the loan he earned to work on them gets pulled.”

You sat back down by him and pulled your blanket over your waist, “Otto is a genius, I hope he can do it,” you propped your elbow on the pillow and placed your cheek in your chin.

“Yeah, it could change a lot of peoples lives for the better,” Peter dropped back and stared up at the ceiling, “He’s acting cool and composed but I know he’s panicking.”

You raised a brow and looked at him, “oh? That sounds kind of familiar,” he snapped his head to look at you with a half smile, “what! It’s true, you’re the same exact way,” you flopped onto your back and glanced up at him, “I know how you are Pete.”

He knew you had a point. He was almost shocked that you didn’t see the truth of who he was on the side. He hoped you’d never have to find that out.

“By the way, Pete,” he blinked at your change of tone and turned his head to meet your gaze, “thank you for sticking up with me after all these years, I feel like a lot has changed recently and we’ve both been going through a lot but you never really gave up on me,” a bittersweet smile crossed your cheeks.

Peter sat up, “I mean you Ned and MJ are the best things to have ever happened to me, I can’t just turn my back on you guys,” he looked at the t.v., “you guys give me a reason to keep going when I really need that push.”

You stared at him and felt your heart swell. You loved these moments with him, you didn’t want to spend it with anyone else. You smiled and scooted over, wrapping your arms around him. He seemed taken aback by this, though he slowly followed suit.

You could feel his arms wrap around you but he never squeezed. It was comfortable. His warmth enveloped you and you felt safe. You were so happy you could hardly contain it. Tears pricked at your eyes and you lowered your head into his chest.

“I-I’m sorry for crying” you whispered.

He looked down at you with his brows lowered, “d-did I do something wrong?”

“No-no,” you lifted your head to gaze up at him with a warm smile, “I just feel so happy, I’m so happy that I can have someone so supportive like you in my life.”

He lifted a hand to the back of your head hesitantly and you lowered your head against his chest when you felt his fingers run through your hair. You stifled a breath and squeezed him in your hug.

“Is this okay... is it okay if we stay like this, just for a little bit?”

“O-of course it is.... it’s okay,” he breathed, looking anywhere but at her.

You always adored how Peter would always be there for you like this. After you graduated high school you went through a crisis and had so many fears of the future. You recall coming over when Aunt May was on a trip and venting. He sat through it with you and listened. He held you and gave you a literal shoulder to cry on. He never looked down on you for showing weakness, in fact he helped you decide college was the route you wanted to take.

“What if I don’t get this promotion?” You whispered, not daring to look at him, “You know how bad I want this position, I’m a journalism major and if I can’t even get up in ranks then—“

You raised your head and made eye contact, falling silent. The look he offered you was strong yet sincere. Your lips pursed as you held eye contact, you swore you could feel something stir in your stomach.

“You’ll get the promotion,” his voice was softer than before, “and if you don’t, it’s not the end of the world, the promotion will be there again.”

He had a point, but if that was true then why were you still crying? You were scared, but you didn’t want to lose hope. He watched a new stream of tears trickle down your cheeks and swallowed hard, “h-here,” he lifted the blanket and pat the tears away, causing a quiet giggle to come from you.

You sniffled and looked at him, “God... Pete you’re amazing,” you looked at him and noticed a faint blush to his cheeks, “Sorry to bum the mood— um,” you drifted away and tucked some hair behind your ears.

There was a long silence between the two of you. Peter noticed you turn your head the other way and he swallowed hard, “are you feeling better?”

“Y-yea..!”

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah... y’know, maybe I should get to bed, we have class tomorrow a-and it’s getting late...”

He nodded slowly, “I can swing by tomorrow and we can walk together again if that’s okay with you?”

You looked at him and smiled, “that sounds wonderful, Pete.”

He stood up and you followed suit, leading him to the door. Before you opened it for him you stepped forward and gave him another tight hug, stepping back and smiling at him, “goodnight, Peter,” you opened the door.

“Goodnight, y/n.”

——————

2:00 a.m.

You couldn’t sleep. You couldn’t turn your thoughts off for even a moment. You had so many fears, so many anxieties. You hated this time off night because it always found a way to creep up on you and steal the sweet grace of sleep from you. You sighed and stood up, perhaps a walk would calm your brain.

You shuffled through your dresser and pulled out a black hoodie, slipping it on over your tank top and grabbing your phone. You slipped on your sneakers and made your way to the front door, jumping when the door swung open.

“Heeey~!” It was Tess and Sara walking in, boy they were wasted, “where are you goin’?”

You put your phone in the pocket of your hoodie, “just on a quick walk,” you glanced between the two girls, figuring Tess was far too gone for your liking, at least Sara had some self control, “please stay hydrated, I’ll be back.” 

You made a quick trip down the elevator and out of the apartment complex, turning right and beginning your hopefully short walk around the block. You couldn’t get nagging thoughts of school and work out of your head, but there was one thing in particular that had been eating away at you since the feeling struck. Did you get butterflies from Peter Parker? No, it simply couldn’t be. You were upset and he was comforting you, you probably were confusing nausea for butterflies.

Still, you couldn’t stop thinking about it. You shook your head and looked at the path in front of you, deciding it would be better to just try to focus on that. What else could you focus on? Your school work was completed so you didn’t have to worry about that, the next thing that was due was your photography assignment but you had some time left before you needed to turn it in. 

You paused when you noticed something odd. You eyes glanced over to the covered up car on the side of the street. You’d been up and down this block time and time again and you’ve never seen anyone cover their car. Maybe they just got a new car--no, why would they do that when parking was already so hard to find around here? It couldn’t be...

You looked around a few times to see if anyone was around you and thankfully the coast was clear. You pulled your hood on and hastily crossed the street, crouching down when you came up to the car. It was parked right next to a driveway that was home to a red convertible, if the person who owned this car was here you surely didn’t want them to spot you prying around their car, especially if it’s the car you think it is.

You pulled out your phone and turned on the flashlight, slowly inching around toward the back of the car. You just needed to see the license plate to know for sure. You popped your head up to glance over the trunk, looking at the house the red convertible belonged to. It looked like all the lights were off, however you could see what seemed like a t.v. still on in the living room through the curtains. You looked around you one last time before sliding to the back end of the car and lifting the back up.

“Shit,” you whispered, there was no license plate, but there was one thing that could help your hunt, “is it--” you had to be sure. You leaned in and ran your fingers over the back bumper, grinning ear to ear when your suspicion was true. A dent. 

Now what? There was a dent, this was true, but that wasn’t enough evidence to prove that the person who owns the car was around here. Hell, it could have been dumped here as a red herring. Your brows furrowed as you slowly rose to your feet, glancing around. Your next plan was a little dangerous. You walked back around the car and took a deep breath, lifting the tarp as slowly as you could. You leaned in and carefully propped your hands against the windows, cupping them to help you try to see through the dark glass.

You couldn’t see much, it looked like there was a maroon folder on the passenger seat, but besides that the car looked empty. It looked like this was a dead end, no leads here.

“Who’s out there?” you tensed when you heard a metal screen door swing open.

You gasped and tried to carefully lower yourself without making too much movement with the tarp, “shit...shit!” what were you supposed to do? Quick, y/n, think! There was no chance you could sprint back to your place, what if the person chased you--what if they had a gun? You looked at the undercarriage of the car and bit your lip. It wasn’t the safest bet, but it was the best idea you had.

Without second thought you wiggled your way under the car, sliding as quietly as you could. You could see a pair of feet jogging over and you held your breath. You felt a sudden fear bubbling within you, your body beginning to tremble. If you could get out of this you swore to yourself you’d go home and actually get some sleep, that’s all you wanted to do. You wanted to go home and crawl into bed. You wanted to be in a safe space. You squeezed your eyes shut when he walked around the car and paused. 

Don’t look under the car, don’t look under the car...

You could hear loud barking nearby, it sounded like it was coming from the house, “dios mio, Charro, what’re you yellin’ about now boy?” your eyes shot open and you watched the man walk back toward the house.

You could hear the metal door slam shut and you didn’t want to wait another second. You crawled out from under the car and stood-- you didn’t even care anymore. You burst into a sprint back to your house and never once looked back. You rounded the corner and sprinted into the complex, approaching the elevator and pressing the button multiple times. You didn’t hear the man come back out, but that didn’t ease your paranoia. You kept glancing over your shoulder, bouncing and looking back at the elevator. A sigh of relief came from you as the doors opened and you hopped inside, pressing the third floor button.

As soon as you were upstairs you rushed to your door and slipped inside, tossing your keys on the desk near the door and speed walking to your room. You had no energy to do anything else. You pulled the hoodie off of your head and threw it over to the dirty clothes hamper, flopping into bed and staring up at the ceiling.

Exhaustion rattled through your body. Any thoughts you had before were clear out of your head, all you could hear and focus on was your rapid heartbeat. You took a long, deep sigh and closed your eyes, a slight smile on your cheeks.

You had your lead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;; u ;; you guys i really didn't expect to get all the kudos i'm getting and the nice comments. Really from the bottom of my heart, thank you! Writing this story makes me really happy and I'm really glad you guys are liking it so much too! I'm gonna update it as much as I can, I get so many ideas at work so on my break and after work, I've just been writing! I feel so inspired!!   
> Anyways, let me know what you guys think of the chapter in the comments! What do you think is gonna happen next/what do you want to see happen? For all those who are avid spiderman lovers like myself, I really hope you like all the characters i've been throwing in!


	4. A Sticky Situation

Morning came around and you really had to take a moment to contemplate life while you sat at your vanity. You had no energy to do anything fancy, you really just cared about concealing your dark circles. You sighed and put your makeup brush down, standing up and starting to sift through your dresser for something quick to wear.

“Good morning, sunshine!” You glanced over your shoulder to acknowledge Sara, “another hangover free day, another dollar!” She offered a toothy grin.

You were glad that at least someone had energy, without Sara’s bright peppy attitude this apartment would fall apart. You only wished you could steal even the smallest bit of her energy, you could really use it about now.

“Mornin’,” you mumbled as you tossed an outfit onto your bed, turning to give her your full attention, “how was last night?”

She shrugged, “it was a bar, I ‘dunno it’s getting kind of boring to me, Tess still loves it but I’m getting too old for it,” she watched you pull your hair up into an unkempt ponytail, “what about you,” she raised a brow when she noticed the questioning look you offered her, “did the nerd finally make a move?”

You rolled your eyes, “oh my god, why is everyone so suddenly interested in my love life?” You flopped against your bed, “No, he didn’t make a move, he doesn’t like me like that— I don’t like him like that, we’re really just friends.”

The ginger-haired girl walked toward your vanity and looked at the mirror. Around the perimeter, you had pinned a string of white Christmas lights from last holiday. Along the wires, you clipped photos from the years with your friends and one of you and your mother. You watched her lean over and begin tapping a few of them, counting under her breath.

“Nine.... ten...ten!” You jumped from how urgent she sounded, “Ten of the like fifteen here are of you and Peter!” She placed her hands on her hips, “have you ever even had a boyfriend?” You looked at her, “Or girlfriend, I’m not judging!”

Her inclusive nature always brought a smile to your face but this time was a little different. You looked into the mirror and sighed, turning her head away when Sara joined her on the bed.

“I’m only teasing you, hun,” she propped an arm on the bed and leaned against it, “but damn, you really don’t have any experience at all?”

You shook your head, “No, after my dad died it just wasn’t a priority for me. I just wanted to graduate and move on in life.”

Your explanation put a dent in her happy demeanor, “You don’t even see it,” you peered up at her almost like a child would to their mother, “babe, you keep putting these big things first, you’re twenty-two, your life doesn’t need to be put together. Live a little, have some fun, live on the edge sometimes!” You cracked a smile, “now turn around, let me fix your hair!”

 

You pulled your legs up onto your bed and crossed them, feeling Sara pull the hair tie out of your hair, “I don’t know why people think I live some boring life,” you raised a brow, “in fact the past week has been eventful, to say the least.”

Sara combed her fingers through your hair, “Is that right?”

“Mmmhm, I found a good case for the promotion at work, almost got caught hunting for evidence last night, too!”

“I hope you realize that’s not what I meant before,” your eyes fluttered shut when you felt her beginning to part your hair, “I mean to be more sincere and daring in your relationships—platonic or romantic,” she tilted her head, her fingers almost expertly dancing to intertwine the strands of hair, “You always close yourself off last minute and get this awkward look about you. It’s okay to vent sometimes, you know?” 

You found yourself looking at the photos on your vanity, sighing. She had a point after your father had died you really had closed yourself off. You remember before his sudden death you were happy and full of life, you never once struggled with being so anxious. You always pushed away from the memories, but you knew the repercussions of that. You had to face the truth of it eventually. You hated even thinking about the day the news came. 

“You feeling okay, hun?” You heard Sarah pipe up after a long silence. 

If you were being honest, you didn’t feel okay. You felt the grip of nausea sneaking up on you and again all of your anxieties were coming crashing down on you in your head. You had to be strong. Smile, y/n, smile.

“Hm? Yeah-- no yeah, I was just thinking about what you said,” you managed a response, “I just don’t want to push people away if I’m too honest.”

“Y/n, we’re all adults now, shit happens to the best of us,” you could hear the hair tie snapping into place as she wrapped it around the end of the braid, “just don’t hold it all in until it’s too late, I’ve been in that boat and the explosion that happens when you get to that point isn’t pretty,” she pat your shoulders after letting the braid fall against your back, “all done!”

You stood up and turned to take a good look at what she’d done to your hair. It was a beautiful fishtail braid, you were almost envious of her skills. You turned to face her and smiled, “thank you, Sara, you always know just what to say to make me feel better!” 

She stepped over and pulled you into a hug, “Anytime baby girl,” she hummed into your ear, pulling away from the embrace to look at you, “now go, knock’em dead!”

“K-knock who--”

“Anyone and everyone! Get that promotion, make some big steps, and collect your coin baby!”

You couldn’t contain your laughter, her odd sayings were certainly the things that kept you going in times like this. You spun to look at the outfit you planned for the day, sighing, before glancing back at Sara, she nodded in understanding and walked out of your room, shutting the door behind her. You were quick to get changed, opting for a pair of shorts and a tank top. You decided to take Sara's words to heart and take charge on your day. You were going to get that promotion with this story, you were sure of it!

You picked up your book bag and swung it over your shoulder, grabbing your phone and house keys and making your way to the front door. When you swung it open you jumped at the presence that lingered there.

“J-Jesus--Peter!”

“Sorry- I just got here and--”

“You scared the shit out of me,” you laughed, shaking your head, “Jesus, C'mon,” you stepped out and shut the door behind you, looking around for a moment before looking straight at him, “I have a secret to tell you too!”

He definitely seemed interested, following alongside you and pressing the button to call the elevator, “I may or may not have found out where the person that drove the getaway car from the robbery lives!”

You watched his shoulders slouch. He smiled, but you knew he was only putting on a front to make you happy. You decided not to call him out on it, instead, you hummed, “I went on a walk to clear my mind last night and I found the getaway car parked outside someone's house,” you entered the elevator, “I almost got caught but...”

His worried gaze flicked right over you, but he wouldn’t dare try to stop you in your mission, “Well--” he cleared his throat, obviously trying to find something nice to say, “What did that do for you?”

“Well, if you must know,” you stuck your tongue out, “I know that the person has a red convertible now,” he looked at you with a questioning look, “Listen, I know that isn’t a lot because it’s New York, a lot of people have red convertibles, but I also know where they live so if I can do some reconnaissance...”

You looked over at Pete to see him staring at you with a slight smile. You really didn’t think he’d be smiling at you, especially after you came clean about the danger you had put yourself through last night. Your brows furrowed and your lips parted as if you were going to speak, but nothing came out.

“You’re gonna get that promotion.”

“W-what?” you felt your cheeks warm up.

“Exactly what I said,” he nodded and lead the way out of the elevator, “you’re so passionate about it, yea it’s a little dangerous to be snooping around, but you’re doing what any great journalist would,” he was pleased to see the smile that lit up your face. 

He really wished you wouldn’t, but there was no stopping you.

“Thanks, Peter,” you looked ahead and gripped the sleeve of your book bag tightly, “that really means a lot to me.”

With that, you could feel your worries melting away. It felt like he just came over and pushed off a giant weight that was sitting on your shoulders; and with such ease, too. You knew that you were going to earn this promotion with this story. You knew that things would work out one way or another.

\------------------------ 

The rest of the day practically dragged on by. You and Peter went your separate ways to your classes. You found yourself incredibly focused for most of the day, but as your classes dragged along you started to diverge into other more interesting thoughts. You were busy trying to come up with theories of what the big story was going to be like. Were the robbers working directly for the Maggia, or perhaps something else entirely?

It came for the time of day where you got to meet with Peter and Ned for your ever so thrilling chemistry class. The trek across campus was probably the best thing about this class, but you needed the credit to graduate so you had no choice. At least Peter and Ned were knowledgeable enough that they were always able to help you. All you really wanted was the school day to be over so that you could rush home, make some coffee, and try to figure out how you were going to continue on with your lead.

“y/n!” you bat your lashes, snapped back into reality when you heard a familiar voice calling your name, “Sorry we left you all alone last night, I didn’t think we’d be out that long!” the blonde ran up to you and offered you a short hug.

“Tess,” you shook your head, “you’re always out late when you’re bar hopping and you always apologize the next day,” you shrugged, “I really don’t care, besides, I had company last night anyway.”

Ah, yes, Tess, your ditzier and slightly more annoying roommate. You loved her to death but lately, she’d been more distracted with alcohol and her boyfriend whom you’d never met. She always insisted on apologizing for things that really never mattered to anyone and was definitely the definition of a brown noser. You found yourself wondering how Sara and Tess became such close friends when Tess was practically the epitome of everything Sara found annoying. To each their own, you suppose.

The blonde rolled her eyes, “y/n, sweetie, don’t ruin the moment,” she placed her hands on her hips, “listen, I was actually gonna invite you out, I just texted Sara and she’s down to go too, David and I were going to this poppin’ hookah lounge that just opened up and--”

“Tess, I still have one more--”

“Oh- Sara! There you are!” the blonde before you bounced in her white heels, waving at Sara as she made her way over, “Let me just tell David to meet us here,” she looked at her phone and quickly sent a text, you absolutely despised the sound of her fake nails tapping against the screen.

“Wow, wait a second, y/n is actually gonna go hang out with us,” the freckled girl teased, “I’m kind of excited, you never hang out with us anymore!”

Your brows furrowed, embarrassed that you were put on the spotlight like this, “you can’t exactly complain, you didn’t even tell me you guys had plans today!”

“Well, in my defense I didn’t find out until half an hour ago, but this is the first time I’m meeting David so,” she shrugged, “and I didn’t exactly have plans either.”

“Well, I actually--”

“Oh, he’s here, c’mon!”

You still had class, how the hell were you supposed to get your way out of this one? Tess grabbed your hand and yanked you forward and just when you were going to try to wiggle your way out you saw it.

The red convertible.

This had to be a coincidence, there was no way that it was going to be that easy for you. There was absolutely no way that the suspect would come crawling right into your hands like this. You didn’t want to believe it, and yet you found yourself sitting in the back seat, staring at the back of the driver's headrest.

What were you getting yourself into?

\-------------------------

“Wait wait wait-- she’s doing what?!” Ned sounded as panicked as Peter felt.

“Yeah man, she’s all into trying to solve it but now that we know it’s liked to the Maggia,” Peter fell silent for a long moment, his brows furrowing, “I don’t think she knows what she’s getting herself into.

He ran his fingers through his messy black hair, “dude, what’re you going to do?”

The brunette paused at the door of their chemistry class and turned his head. He didn’t want to admit it, but he really didn’t know what he was going to do. He didn’t want to fight you and ruin your dream, but he knew how dangerous this potentially was.

“I just have to watch out for her.”

“So you’re gonna like....babysit her?”

Peters nose wrinkled at the question and he shot a glare at Ned, “What-- no-- well,” he kind of had a point, that was basically the whole idea. 

Ned walked into the classroom and Peter followed close behind, walking to the lab table that the trio usually called home, “I don’t know man, I think it’s gonna make it hard for you to...” he paused and looked around slowly, almost comically before he looked back at Peter, “hide your secret,” he whispered as quietly as he could.

Peter gently hit his arm with the back of his hand, “dude.”

Ned frowned and nodded, “s-sorry...” he fell silent for a long moment before looking around and withdrawing a laptop from his backpack, “wait, where is she? Isn’t she usually here before us?”  
Peter felt his stomach drop, you wouldn’t cut class to go snoop around, would you? No, that was unreasonable, you knew better than to do that, “I dunno, maybe she had to talk to her other professor about something,” yeah, that was it, definitely!

But when fifteen minutes came and went, Peter began to question it again. He felt his phone buzz in his pocket and he fumbled to get it out, a hand shooting up to his forehead when he read the text.

You would!

Ned turned his head with a questioning look and glanced at the phone when Peter handed it to him.

Y/n: Soooo I don’t know if it’s the same guy but I think Tess’s boyfriend is the mysterious convertible guy.

Y/n: We’re heading to Hollands now, I’ll keep you updated.

“No way!”

“Shhh-!” Peter hissed in response to Ned, causing the gaze of the whole class to befall upon them.

“If you are only going to horse around during this time then you should not be here,” the older professor chimed in, “Finals are coming up and I do not think any of the students who actually care about this class appreciate your rowdiness.” 

Peter felt his ears heat up as he looked the other way, “sorry miss...” he swallowed hard, watching Ned lower his head to hide it behind the screen of his laptop.

The rest of the class flew by, though Peter was convinced it went by so fast because he spent the entire time hoping that it wasn’t the man. He was hoping that it was just going to be a normal hangout and that it wasn’t the person that fled the scene. With ten minutes left of Peter was helplessly bobbing his leg, he didn’t even know what to respond to you with.

Bzzz!

He flipped his phone back over to glance at it, hopeful that it was another text telling him about what was going on. He practically jumped out of his chair when he saw it was a breaking news notification. Ned turned his head to look at his alarmed friend and his look of confusion turned into one of understanding and slight fear when he heard the sirens of police cars racing passed the campus.

Breaking News: Shots fired at trendy hookah bar and restaurant!

Ned looked at Peter and gave a slow nod, it was his time to be the guy on the computer. He watched at Peters jaw clenched and he nodded back, grabbing his notebook and standing up, making his leave as quietly as he could. Once he was out of the classroom he sprinted down the hall, looking behind him and bursting out the hall's doors, zipping around the building and taking one last glance around. 

He dropped to a squat and went through his backpack, pulling out his mask and slipping it on over his head. He pulled the bag back onto his back and pressed his hands against the gritty bricks. He crawled up the wall as quick as he could and once safe on the roof he dropped his backpack again. He made no haste in slipping out of his clothes, ripping the suit out of his backpack and jumping into it. He sped walked forward and pressed the logo in the center, feeling the suit suck in and form fit to his body. He jumped forward and shot a web, swinging forward.

“Good afternoon, Peter,” the A.I. hummed into Peter’s ears.

“Karen! I need you to get me onto the police radio frequency, I need to know what’s going on at Hollands!” He demanded as he zipped through the sky.

“Give me a moment,” a new screen appeared on his HUD, appearing to be an audio file beginning to play.

“We have a 10-35, I repeat, a 10-35, send all the backup we can get!” He could hear a woman shouting into the radio.

“10-4, we’re sending out backup now.” A man responded.

“That doesn’t give me enough of an idea, Karen, are there any breaking news updates?”

“It seems that there are gunmen in Hollands, would you like me to route you to the news station?” The A.I. inquired.

“Yes-- Yes!”

The radio was swiped out of the way, a new application popping up on Peters interface, he could see a woman standing in front of a news van, Hollands not far in the background, “I’m getting word that they are holding people hostage! There’s still no word on the demands or who these men are but--”

Peter was seeing red. He couldn’t even focus on the newscaster anymore. He needed to hurry! It didn’t take long for him to reach his location, perching himself on the roof. He looked around and narrowed his eyes, he had to figure out a sneaky way to get in. He raised his head and looked over his shoulder, his suits eyes flicked open again. That’s it!

\--------------------

This certainly wasn’t your scene, but you couldn’t miss an opportunity to get to know David a little more. You just needed to find out where he lived, but even if you didn’t here then you still had the opportunity to ask Tess at a later time. There was no need to push now. A server walked over and set down a large appetizer sampler on the table next to the behemoth of a hookah. People seriously enjoyed smoking these? You still couldn’t believe this was considered a fun social event. 

“So, David, what do you do?” Sara inquired, pressing the pipe to her lips and taking a deep breath, passing it on to Tess.

The tan-skinned man smirked and leaned back, wrapping his arm around Tess, “Well, I was an engineer but I was laid off,” he grabbed the pipe from Tess after she took her hit, “I’m doing odd jobs now to make ends meet, I’m hopin’ I can get picked up somewhere more....lucrative though.”

He blew out the thick smoke and offered you the hose, shrugging when you waved your hand to deny his offer. He leaned over and handed it back to Sara, who looked between the two of you before snatching it from him and leaning back in her seat.

“What kind of odd jobs,” you leaned over and picked an onion ring off of the platter, looking up to see his curious look, “what do you have to do, I mean?”

He crossed his legs and shrugged, “pickups, deliveries, babysittin’, you name it I probably done it.”

Tess giggled, “David’s a handyman, if we ever have something busted at the apartment just tell me, I can give him a call,” she grabbed the hose from Sara and took a puff, turning her head and looking up at him, blowing out slowly, “isn’t that right, babe?”

He smirked and nodded slowly, pecking her on the lips and grabbing the pipe, “I take whatever I can these days, money is money.” 

You stared up at him and took a big bite of the onion ring, batting your lashes and huffing-- you hadn’t realized it was going to be this hot. Tess couldn’t contain her laughter and Sara simply shook her head, “It’s fresh, you know,” she snickered.

You flicked the bird at her, “I know that now,” you mumbled as clearly as you could, the piping food still in your mouth.

“Mm, speaking of,” Tess piped up and looked at David, “did you ever find that tech for your client?”

You perked up, looking at David when he shook his head, “Nah, the other guys that were assigned with me is an idiot and didn’t do what he was supposed to, we lost where it could be.”

The blonde rolled her eyes, “You don’t deserve to get in trouble for that!”

David sighed, seeming obviously bothered, “Yeah, I don’t think I do either, they got let go but I’m still facing the consequences. I gotta find it soon otherwise I’m gonna lose out on this job too,” he grunted, taking the hookah and holding it close to his lips, contemplating for a moment.

“What is it you’re supposed to get?” The question you posed seemed to catch him off guard. He took a long hit off of the hookah and leaned forward, resting his arms against his legs and blowing the smoke out directly at your face.

“Some sort of battery or a reactor or somethin’, I dunno I don’t ask questions I just do the job,” he reached out and offered you the hose, “take a hit.”

You sat straight, thrown off by the sudden serious request, “I-I’m okay--” He leaned closer in, practically placing the hose in your hand.

“It’s not that bad, Y/n, you should try it, just once,” Tess looked at you, batting her long lashes, “please, try it for me?”

Sara groaned, “Tess, don’t be fuckin’ weird, if she wants to do it she’ll do it don’t force--”

You felt challenged. You felt inclined. You met Davids hard stare and lifted the tip of the pen to your lips, taking a slow, long hit. Seconds passed and you could hear Tess gasp and begin to giggle. David leaned back with a slight grin on his cheeks and that’s when you understood their reaction. You felt an intense burning in your chest, flinging your arm forward and starting to cough. 

Sara leaned forward and yanked it away from you, leaning in and patting your back, “Not cool guys,” she sneered, trying to comfort you through your coughing fit.

That sucked, you were still coughing. It felt like everyone there had their eyes on you. So much for trying to assert yourself and seem strong.

“Tch,” David chuckled quietly, “What do you do anyway?”

You held up a finger to tell him to wait, still trying to catch your breath between each cough, but before you could pull yourself together you heard Tess pipe up, “She’s a journalist,” you shot your cold hard gaze onto her, frustration welling in you, “She works at the Bugle, she’s actually really good at writing but that dickhead Jonah never gives her the light of day.”

You watched David nod slowly and roll his head to look back at you, “interesting.”

“Yeah well, I’m o-onto something this time that he won’t be able to ignore,” you croaked, almost instantly regretting your outburst.

You met his gaze and took a deep breath. Your suspicions were growing stronger with each passing second. You shifted uncomfortably in your seat, raising your head when you heard him speak to you again.

“You know, I might have a scoop for ya’,” he leaned forward and grabbed a french fry, popping it into his mouth, “There’s been someone snoopin’ around the city, they hit my place last night,” your stomach sank, “I dunno what they want, probably a thief or somethin’” his grin was smug, he knew-- he knew.

“It’s probably some teenager, babe, I’m telling you, you should’ve just gone out there and kicked their ass!”

You looked down, pale in the face. He had to have known that was you. You were too smug about things, too obvious. You slowly rose to your feet and looked the other way.

“Y/n?” Sara looked worried, “Are you okay, you look like you’ve seen a ghost?”

It was him, there was no doubt about it. You had no clue what he was capable of, especially since he was part of an armed robbery-- no-- part of the Maggia, “yeah, I just have to go to the bathroom,” you forced a smile, “I’ll be back” you grabbed your book bag and made your way to the back of the building.

God, what were you getting yourself into? It was easy thinking about the danger when you were safe at the moment, but the moment anything began to smell like trouble it really made you regret things. Perhaps you should have just sat back and accepted the treatment at work. Perhaps--

Breathe.

You looked down and pulled your phone out of your book bag after you found the hall leading to the bathrooms. It was quiet, you could take a moment to relax here.

Peter.

That’s right, Peter was always there for you, maybe if you texted him he’d make the trek over-- no, you felt too guilty for that. Hollands was on the other side of town, you didn’t want to make him walk that far for you. You flicked through your phone and opened the Uber app, deciding that would probably be the way to go. Your bank account surely wouldn’t like that, but you really didn’t want to stick around.

“Hey,” you looked up when you heard the gruff voice and jumped when a hand thumped against the wall beside your head, “Shhh,” a hand shot up to cover your mouth, “You got some nerve sneakin’ around my house last night,” your eyes were wide, staring up at him, “You think a hoodie can make you completely anonymous?” He leaned in, “You don’t want in on this life, you’re gettin’ yourself into a mess you don’t want to be in,” he drew his hand away slowly.

You stared up at him, your breath uneven, “what are you talking about?”

He shook his head, “I have a lot of fuckin’ work to do, you get caught up in the shit I’m doin’ and you and your friends are gonna be on a shit list that you don’t want to be on is what I’m tryin’ to say.”

“W-what are you doing, what are you trying to get, who are you--” 

Both of you flinched at the sound of gunshots followed by immediate screaming. Your eyes widened and you stared up at him, your heart dropping when David looked down at you and sighed.

“We’re fucked.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before I write each chapter I've been plotting out where I want things to go and I'm so excited for you guys to see what happens! Thank you for all of the positive feedback again, it really makes me so happy that something I started to make me feel happy is loved by others too! Let me know what you think of everything in the comments! ;; u ;; again, thank you and I can't wait for you to read the next chapter!


	5. Worst in Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to leave a trigger warning, there is violence and a single death in this chapter. I'm pretty sure I put it in the tags too but there will also be mention of mental illness and characters struggling through said mental illness multiple times through this series. Trigger warning aside, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

“We’re fucked.”

Your breath hitched. You could hear your heart pounding in your head and dizziness began to overtake you. Was this even real? You wished it wasn’t.

“David, what’s going on?” 

“Look, I don’t even know,” he looked just as shaken as you were, “my team got hired by the Maggia but my guys were sloppy, we were on the way to our original pickup point to get what the Maggia ordered and they made a scene,” he lowered his head, “It wasn’t our first time workin’ with them and the last few times they hired us things haven’t exactly gone to plan.” He looked down, sweat beginning to raise on his forehead.

“What did they want,” you stepped forward, clenching your fists, “what did they send you to get, David?!”

“I don’t know!” he raised his voice, turning his head when he heard the shouts of several men cutting over the crowd, directing each other, “look, they wanted me to get tritium from someone who worked for Oscorp,” he said quietly, “don’t ask me why because I haven’t got a fuckin’ clue.”

You looked the other way, “shit,” you whispered, walking passed him and peering around the corner. You could see five men, two of which had some sort of assault rifle in their hands, the other three were walking around and grouping people up, “shit!” you swore, turning around and pacing down the hall.

There was no way this was happening. Of course there was! You were dealing with the Magia! You resented yourself for not listening to Peter in the first place, he was right-- he always was! 

David ran his fingers through his hair, “Shit...I shouldn’t have brought Tess here,” you looked back at him and frowned when you saw him press his back against the wall. You wanted to be mad, you wanted to despise him for getting you and everyone in this restaurant into this mess but seeing how visibly distraught he was made you feel a sense of empathy. 

You looked around in an attempt to find some sort of emergency exit, but against your luck the only doors there were led to the bathrooms. The exit had to have been on the other side of the club. Your hands found themselves at either side of your head as you paced, trying to keep yourself calm, “I-I don’t know what we’re going to do,” you whispered, the panic beginning to set in.

You and David made eye contact when you heard a thump overhead. Slowly, both of your gazes trailed up to the vent above you. It rattled and shook for a moment before it opened with a quiet creak. You took a hesitant step back, though when you saw the suited man that fell from the vent slowly rise, you felt a calm rush over you.

“S-Spider-man!” Your eyes lit up when you saw him, David however looked like he had some mixed emotions.

“I’m gonna get you guys out of here,” the hero promised, turning his head when he heard the men in the main room directing each other, “Listen to me, both of you,” he snapped his attention back onto you and David, “I need you to stay here, I’m gonna try to take them out one by one--”

“Let us help,” you interrupted, David stared at you disapprovingly, “Two of them have big guns, you can’t just--”

“You’re right, they do have big guns,” Spider-man nodded, “that’s exactly why I need you to stay here,” he paused when he saw the worried look on your face, shaking his head, “Listen, I know it’s fun to play hero sometimes but please don’t put your life on the line--”

“That’s not fair,” you chuffed, stepping forward, “You literally put your life on the line every day, you have no room to talk!”

His suits expressive eyes shot wide open as he took a hesitant step back and raised his hands up, “w-whoa whoa okay, I get it,” he dropped his hands and shook his head, “am I gonna have to keep running into you on these terms?”

His attempt to lighten the mood was appreciated, however, you’d prefer if he made light of it after everyone was safe. You glanced up at him and sighed, “Alright Spidey, do your thing,” you finally whispered, “please, be careful.”

He stood there for a long moment before giving a curt nod, “remember, stay quiet,” he held a finger up to where his mouth would be under the mask before shooting a web onto the ceiling and yanking himself up. 

You found yourself sliding down the wall next to David and watching the masked hero crawl out of the hall. This was the third time he helped you and two of the three times would now be him saving your life. You were glad New York had a friendly neighborhood Spiderman. 

“I’m so screwed,” you looked at David when he spoke, “They’re going to get me one way or another, I just needed the money to survive and look what that’s done...”

“David...”  
“No, don’t try to console me,” he hissed, looking away from you, “You wanted to get me just as bad as they want me!” 

Your brows furrowed, “I was doing it for the position,” your sentence seemed to catch him off guard, “If I just sat and accepted the lousy position I have now I wouldn’t have tried to bust you last night,” you fiddled with your fingers, “we’re human, we’re just trying to do anything to get ourselves ahead in our own lives, I can’t blame you.”

You didn’t dare look at him but out of the corner of your eye, you could see him turn his head to glance at you before raising his head when he heard what sounded like pots and pans falling in the kitchen area.

He thumped his head back against the wall, “I went on a whole rant about how you didn’t need to be in on this but look at me,” he tossed his hands in the air and let out an exasperated sigh, “I brought Tess into it no problem.”

You didn’t want to give him relationship advice, but you had to agree. It wasn’t fair to Tess at all, she was with someone who was living a double life. You had to imagine how hard it would be to find out that the whole facade your significant other was putting up was fake. It must be painful. In the end, you opted for silence.

Each minute that passed was dreadfully slow, especially with no live update from the hero who was out doing the dirty work as you spoke. You withdrew your phone and opened up your text conversation with Peter, scrolling through with your brows furrowed. Your thumbs hovered over the keyboard, hesitating. You didn’t know what to say, but you felt an overwhelming desire to text him. You wanted to be with him, you wanted to feel safe.

Y/n: I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you.

Y/n: I’m sorry, Peter.

You had to force back the tears. You had to stay strong and remind yourself that you were going to get out of here. Spider-man was out there, he was going to save you, right? You didn’t want to look at your phone anymore, you couldn’t bear to read whatever Peter was going to respond with so you tossed your phone into your book bag and lifted your hands to your head, trying to cope with the stress of the situation.

You turned your head when you noticed David slowly stand up and you raised your head to see what he was doing.,“You know what, fuck this,” his fingers clenched into fists, “I can’t sit around here anymore.”

“D-David...?” You shot to your feet, “D-don’t do anything David, S-Spider-man is gonna--”

“Is Spider-man gonna keep me outta jail?” he snapped at you, causing you to flinch, “Is he gonna keep savin’ my life whenever the Maggia come back to finish what they started?”

“Think about Tess,” you blurted out, scrambling to find anything to get him to come to his wits again, “think about your dog, you can’t just go out and ruin everything-- what about all the people out there?!”

“I’m a dead man anyway,” he took a step forward, “better things will come along for Tess, someone will take my dog, as for everyone else out there,” he shrugged, “might as well give them what they came for, I’m helping them! There’s somethin’ good for ya’, right?!”

“W-wait,” you stepped forward when he started to walk away, “shit!”

You watched him walk out and shout to catch the Maggia’s attention. You ran out and rushed to reach him. You felt like you were outside of your body like you had no control. You grabbed his arm and tried to yank him back, but there was no use anymore. He lifted his arm and jabbed you away.

“David!” You heard a gun raise and you turned your head to see the man with the gun aiming at David. You looked over when you heard a loud slam, seeing Spiderman kicking off of another one of the Maggia and webbing him to the wall.

It felt like the world was slowing to a crawl, you didn’t understand why it had to go so wrong. You found yourself reaching one last time, you had to help him, you had to--

A ringing blasted through your ears after the loud sound of gunshots rang through the establishment again. Your body tensed and you felt your breath catch in your throat. Something splashed against your skin. You were deafened by the ringing but you could see someone out of the corner of your eye standing and trying to run over, another woman tackling her over. You tipped back, your right leg falling back to give you support.

Spider-man reached forward, a web shooting from his wrist tech and sticking against the assailant's arm. He yanked himself forward and throw a hard punch against the man's head, flipping under him and kicking the gun out of his hand, reaching up and shooting a web to stick the weapon against the ceiling so it wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone else. 

Your body felt weak. You watched David crumble down before you and you looked down at yourself, seeing the blood splatter against your clothes, against your skin. The world was spinning. You felt sick. Your ears were still ringing when heavily armed men burst through the front doors. When you turned to look back at the hero that saved the rest of the guests in the restaurant you noticed he was no longer present.

Tears streamed down your cheeks when you felt the hands of a paramedic rest over your shoulders. You could hear them speaking to you but you were too dazed to even make out what they were saying. Your world still felt like it was at a standstill. There was no way that you just watched this happen-- there was no way David was just shot in front of you. You felt a blanket get tossed over your shoulders as you were led out of the building and toward the back of an ambulance. 

You just wanted to go home.

\--------------------------------------

The sound of your voice caused Peter to snap his head toward the scene. He wouldn’t let it happen- he wasn’t going to let someone die today! He jammed his arm forward and shot a web, feeling it latch the back of the assailant's arm. As soon as he felt the grip he tugged himself forward, but it was too late. His heart stopped when the gunshots rang through the establishment just before he was able to make it over. Peter’s fist made contact with the man's head before he kicked the gun out of his hand and shot a web to stick it to the ceiling.

The man crumbled to the ground, knocked unconscious; but for David, it was too late. The display in the mask pinpointed each spot David had been shot before circles began popping up on your body when it tracked the blood that had been spilled on you. Peters' heart ran cold when he saw your face. This wasn’t supposed to happen. No one was supposed to die. 

His head snapped to look at the door when he felt a shiver roll down his spine. He didn’t have the greatest reputation with the NYPD, this was about to make things a lot worse. He knew he couldn’t stick around-- at least not in the suit. He shot a web and yanked himself back toward the hall of the bathroom, leaping up and pulling himself into the vent, slamming it shut behind him.

“Peter? Hello, Peter?” He could hear Ned's voice ringing in his ears, “Peter what’s going on?”

“I messed up, Ned,” Peters' voice cracked, “They killed someone, I-I couldn’t save him” He crawled through the vents as quickly as he could. He could feel the wave of emotions rolling through him.

He pushed himself out and onto the roof, grabbing his backpack and pulling it on as quick as he could, “What about everyone els--” before Ned could finish Peter lifted his hand to the side of his head, signaling Karen to cut the call for him. Peter sprinted forward and leaped off of the building, he just needed to swing a few blocks away and get changed out of his suit, then he could come back-- he could come to you.

As soon as Peter dropped into an alley far enough from the scene he let his backpack drop to the ground. Unzipped it and pressed the button in the middle of the suit, the once tight fabric becoming baggy. He pulled the suit off and yanked his phone out of his backpack to shove the suit in, his heart still pounding. He could still hear the gunshots echoing in his head. He could still see your pained face and hear the screams of the people that had to watch.

He ripped his mask off and looked down at the notification on his phone, his blood running cold.

Y/n: I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you.

Y/n: I’m sorry, Peter.

He threw the mask into the bag and drew his street clothes out, stopping and turning, “Dammit!” He hissed at himself as he paced in a circle, throwing his shirt on and practically jumping into his jeans. 

He ran his fingers through his hair and popped into a squat. How was he supposed to show his face to you? You didn’t know that was him, but he did. He knew what happened, he knew he could have done better. He should have been able to save David. He stood up and paced for a few minutes, trying to wrap his head around the situation. Tears pricked in his eyes and he clenched his teeth, leaning over and pulling his shoes out of his bag and slipping them on, sniffling and wiping his eyes.

He took a deep breath and scooped up his backpack, looking at his phone again. He found himself staring at your message and his brows furrowed. He could feel your pain, he could hear your voice when he read the text and it was killing him thinking about it. He couldn’t muster the strength to respond-- no, he had to see you, he had to go to you. He had to comfort you and you were the only solace he had in turn.

He rubbed his eyes one last time before walking out of the alley, though it didn’t take long for his long to become a jog and for that jog to become a sprint.

He had to go back to you.

\----------------------------------

It felt like hours had passed though not much time had passed at all. Just when the police had finished questioning you-you were preparing to go home. At least, you were trying to prepare yourself to be alone again. You didn’t want to think about anything, you just wanted to go home and go to sleep. You wanted nothing more than to just sleep until all the memories left your mind.

You kept yourself wrapped in the blanket the paramedics had offered you, finding comfort in the warmth of it as you watched others running into the arms of their families. Seeing this simply poured salt in the wound. You wished you could have a family to comfort you now, but the only family you had left was busy traveling abroad, enjoying her early retirement with her new young boyfriend.

You could still feel the nausea that had settled in your stomach and refused to fade away. You slowly stood up and pulled the blanket off of you and neatly folded it up, “I think I’m good to go home now,” you whispered when you handed it over to the Paramedic.

“Get home safe,” he nodded as he took the blanket, walking towards the other groups that needed tending to.

It was easier than you originally thought it was going to be. You picked up your book bag and began to make your way home. When you crossed the yellow crime scene tape you nodded your head to the officer that was stationed to keep pedestrians and news anchors out. You tried to put on a strong front, after all Tess was probably going to be the most affected by it. You would get through this, right?

“Y/n!” 

You felt your whole body freeze when you heard Peters voice. You didn’t anticipate this and you surely didn’t want him to see you cry again. You swallowed hard and slowly turned around, seeing him sprinting toward you with the most concerned look on his face. You felt your heart pounding and your brows furrowed. You felt the pain surge through your body again, you could hear everything replaying over and over again in your head and seeing Peter triggered something in you. 

Your lips pursed and your body stiffened just before he reached you. You could feel his warmth wrapping around you and you wished it did more. You wanted to feel okay, you wanted his embrace to melt all of the pain away but all it did was provide you with a small sense of comfort. You could feel strength behind this hug, his arms tightened around you and his fingers curled over your shoulders as he pulled you close. 

A quiet sob came from you as your tucked your head into his chest, slowly lifting your arms and gently resting your hands at the small of his back, gripping his shirt. You felt him rest his chin on your head, holding you tight and remaining silent. You stayed like this for a while, sobbing into his chest. The vision of Davids body was ingrained in your head and you were desperate to get it out. The fear of everything crumbling around you was flooding back into your thoughts and you wanted nothing more than to wash it out. There was so much going on in your mind and yet all you could bring yourself to do was cry.

And Peter held you. He wasn’t going to let you go. He wouldn’t let you drown.  
You lifted your head after a long while, your eyes red and swollen from crying as hard as you were. That’s when you saw it. Peters eyes were glassy, his brows were upturned and his jaw was tight. His gaze was locked to yours and anything you wanted to say was lost. 

“Let’s go home,” the way his voice shook killed you, he slowly drew you away but kept you close, “c-come on...” he whispered, looking down at you with a smile in attempts to be strong for you.

Another tear fell down your cheek when you nodded, wanting nothing more than to be in bed again.

\--------------------------

When you arrived at your apartment you looked back at Peter, noticing he looked hesitant to even join you. You needed his presence, you needed someone's company, you couldn’t be alone right now.

You swallowed hard and hesitantly whispered, “will you stay?”

That was all he needed. He walked in and shut the door behind him, there was no way he was going to leave you alone like this. He knew you too well and he knew the habits you’d fall into, but a murder-- this was new to him. How was he supposed to comfort you through this? He watched you put your book bag down and look at your phone, a deep frown setting on your features.

“Peter?”

“Y-Yea?” He saw the scared look you gave him and swallowed hard. 

You looked at him with a pleading look, “Tess is at home with her parents and Sara is with her to comfort you, c-can you,” You swallowed hard, “can you spend the night, I don’t want to be alone...”

He stared at you for a long moment before slowly nodding, “No yeah, I can uh...” He set his own backpack down, “I can stay, that’s fine.” He didn’t want to leave you in need like this. He was sure you had your own demons to face tonight and he wasn’t going to let you face them alone.

“I don’t want to face the world tomorrow,” you whispered as you kicked off your shoes and walked toward your room, your friend following close behind, “I just want to stay in bed-- I don’t care about the stupid promotion anymore I just...”

He watched you pause for a long moment before pushing the bedroom door open and walking inside. He wished he could have gotten you out of there before things had escalated. Seeing you like this hurt him more than he thought it ever would. He was absolutely torn. This was all on him now, he knew there was a world of actions he could have taken to make sure no one died but he messed up. He wished Tony was around but he was busy making a deal on the west end. He couldn’t help but fear what Tony’s reaction would even be when he heard the news.

“I don’t know what’s happening anymore,” your sudden sob caught Peter off guard, he quickly followed you into your room to watch you sit on your bed and pull your knees to your chest, “I don’t know if I’m going down the right career path, I don’t have any family here for me anymore, I just watched someone get killed I-” Your breath hitched.

“Whoa whoa, slow down, y/n,” He rushed over and sat by your side.

“I didn’t even get to say goodbye-- I had no control then and I had no control now-- when will I ever actually be able to do shit right?!” Your panic caught both yourself and Peter off guard. You’d felt this way before, you’d felt this sorrow and fear but never at this magnitude. You lowered your head into your knees and wept.

Peter leaned over and tried to pull you out of the ball you were forcing yourself into, but you refused to budge, “I could have done something more-- I should have stopped him, I should have--”

Before you could continue your thought you felt him pull your whole body close to his. You could feel him wrapping his arms around you again, “Please look at me,” he murmured and you could hear his voice crack again. Slowly, you lifted your head, your breath still unsteady, “There’s not one person that walked out of that building thinking that they did everything perfectly,” you could hear a weakness in his voice, a trembling, “but you can’t go back,” he swallowed hard, “and it’s okay, l-look, we’ll figure it all out.”

Your brows furrowed and you leaned over, wrapping your arms around him again and sobbing quietly. Your breath was uneven, your body was hot and your mind was fuzzy. You wanted all the pain to go away but you knew there wasn’t going to be an easy way out of this. You felt him pull the hair tie out of your hair and you could feel his fingers fumbling through your braid, you knew he didn’t have a clue on how to unbraid it but that didn’t stop him from trying.

After a few minutes and quite a few failed attempts later, your hair was finally uncoiled and you could feel him running a hand through it, using his other arm to fish you close, “we’ll get through this,” he whispered as he slowly laid back, you followed him, not wanting to leave the comfort that was his chest, “we’ll get past it, I swear...”

You gripped his shirt and never looked up. You didn’t want to move anymore. Fatigue gripped you and was beginning to tear away at the sadness you felt. The calming sensation that came with each time he stroked your hair only aided in tearing the depression away momentarily. It had been too long of a day and you wanted to stop thinking about it hours ago, so you did the best thing you could. You faded off into slumber.

And Peter never left you, though he couldn’t allow himself to sleep. His mind was running and it wouldn't stop. He had an unbelievable fear of where things would go from here and he couldn’t help but wonder if this incident will have ruined your life. He turned his head to look at you, noticing how at ease you finally were. Your cheeks were still slick with tears and your skin was clear of any traces of blood, the paramedics must have cleaned that off of you. 

He pressed his head into the pillow and stared up at the ceiling, using his free hand to rub his eyes when tears began to blur his vision. Who was Spider-man going to be to the public now, a menace? He had to be more careful from here on out, he closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. He had a lot to do in the coming hours as both Peter Parker and Spider-man. He couldn’t think about it now, all he wanted to do was fall into a restful sleep much like you were now. He wanted to forget about it all, even just for a few hours.

And so that’s exactly what he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really tried to make sure this felt as real as possible and try to put myself in the shoes of each of the characters to understand how each of them would feel after a situation like this. Let me know what you guys think ; u ; I'm gonna go do something happy to make myself feel better after writing this chapter, I was so sad! lmao! It will look up from here though, it won't always be sad I promise >) also!! I am gonna be on vacation for a few days so i may not update until i am back at home!! Thanks for keeping up and i cant wait for u to read the next one!!


	6. Crisis

Days had passed since the incident and you were finding each one growingly difficult. You had sent an email to your professors explaining that you were part of the events a few days prior and they had excused you from class for the rest of the week. You were appreciative, but you still dreaded finding the inspiration to do any of the work to catch up for the week. Thankfully, your friends never left you alone. The house was still unbearingly lonely with Tess and Sara still away, though your friends made sure to be by your side. MJ, Ned, and Peter came over every day, they even brought you dinner last night and insisted on having an impromptu movie night.

As much as you wanted to be happy to have their love and support, you still felt an aching in your body. You rolled over in bed and reached for your phone, only sighing when you noticed the time. 

5:00 p.m.

You’d slept in and when you woke you just simply couldn’t find your way out of the restraints that were your blankets. You flicked the screen open only after noticing you had a message notification from Peter. You had quite a few actually. 

Peter: Hey I’m gonna be coming by, did you want a sandwich or hot dog?

Peter: Y/N?

Peter: I’m just gonna take a lucky guess

Peter: I hope you’re awake when I get there.

That last message was about fifteen minutes ago. You began to panic-- you promised everyone you’d take care of yourself yet here you were climbing out of bed halfway through the day. You jumped out of bed and looked at yourself in your vanity, combing your fingers through your hair. Your fingers got caught in several large knots. There was no way you could face peter like this. You decided it would be a better idea to just allow him access into your house while you were showering so you grabbed your apartment key and opened the door, taking a glance around to make sure no one would see you do this. You slipped the key under the welcome mat and rushed back inside. While grabbing your clothes and towel you sent a quick text to Peter.

y/n: I’m very much awake now. I’m gonna shower really quick, but I left the key under the mat for you :^)

 

Peter: got it! Five-star cuisine is on its way.

Your shower was quick, just long enough to lather as much conditioner as it would take to detangle your hair and wash your body. You made a quick, sloppy job of drying your hair with a towel and threw on your pajamas. You looked at yourself in the mirror and paused, staring at yourself. You leaned forward and traced your fingertips over your face when you noticed the bags under your eyes. You truly hadn’t been sleeping well since the incident, you were plagued by nightmares or just simply couldn’t turn your brain off long enough to sleep.

You had to force yourself away and exited the bathroom curtly, raising a brow when you heard the T.V. playing quietly. You walked around the corner and couldn’t contain the modest smile that crossed your cheeks when you saw the brunette lounging on the couch. He seemed to have noticed your presence despite how quiet you were. He snapped his body to look back at you before relaxing into his seat again.

“Finally, I thought the food was going to get cold,” he chuckled and pat the seat next to him, inviting you over.

You sank right into the broken cushion of the cheap old couch, “Well I’m a hungry gal, I had food on the mind so I made it a quick job,” you glanced at the wrapped hot dogs on the coffee table, “ah, the New Yorker special, you really shouldn’t have, Pete.”

You swore that the smile on his cheeks could light up the whole room. Seeing it made you feel a little better, it distracted you from everything that plagued your mind, “Cheese and onion, right?”

“Bless your soul,” you hummed as you snatched the wrapped dog off of the table, fumbling to unwrap it. 

“I figured you needed a little pick me up,” he watched you rip apart the wrapping and really lay into the first bite, “If I knew you were gonna be so hungry I would have gotten you two,” he remarked when he watched you hungrily take another bite.

You didn’t even realize you were as hungry as you were, the first bite sent you into a hunger filled haze. You waved your hand to dismiss his comment and took another large bite. Perhaps you were so hungry because it was already almost dinner time and you hadn’t eaten a single meal today. 

“So uh,” you took some time to chew your food and swallow before you decided to speak again, “how’s the work with doctor otto?”

You noticed a brief silence before he could collect his thoughts into an answer, “y’know, he could be better I think.”

“Oh?”

“We’ve been making huge strides in the development of his robotic prosthetics but his health has been on a huge decline lately.”

The slight waver in Peters' voice caught you off guard. You knew how much he admired Otto, you never met him yourself but just by the description alone, you found yourself slightly envious of his raw talent and passion. 

“I’m sorry Pete--”

“No--No it’s fine, I’m sure it’ll all be okay,” he slowly peeled the wrapping off of his hot dog, “anyways, I know we’ve seen each other practically every day since then but,” he locked eyes with you, “how are you feeling since the incident?”

You swallowed hard and felt a sudden weight fall upon your body. You didn’t know whether or not you should tell him the truth or sugar coat your mental decay. Your gaze was glued to his and you truly didn’t realize how long you were staring at him for. You had to tear your gaze away and peek at the newscast that was playing on the T.V.

“You know,” you sucked in a deep breath, “I could be better, but I’m making it work,” you decided to go with a far more positive approach. Perhaps if you stay positive it would be easier for you to truly see the bright side of things.

Peter was silent, his attention seems to shift from you to the news anchor on the screen. His lips parted as if he were going to say something but his distraction was pulling him away from anything he was going to express.

“Photos are circulating online of this bizarre shape,” you too turned your attention to the woman on the screen, “People are claiming it to be a bird the size of a man, we’ll show on screen some of the images getting sent in to us,” the screen flickers away from the anchorwoman and onto a new screen that was simply a powerpoint of these odd images, “All of these photos were taken in the past hour, some people claim that it might be Adrian Toomes, also known as the Vulture. However, Toomes was last seen locked behind bars. We are trying to contact Raft officials to see if they have any further statements.”

You snapped your head over when you saw Peter jump to his feet and noticed him looking at his phone, “O-Otto just texted me, there’s uh, there’s something wrong at the lab,” he looked at you and it made your stomach drop, it looked like he had just seen a ghost. His brows were upturned and he truly looked upset, he wanted to make sure you felt comfortable and didn’t want to leave this early, though an emergency is an emergency.

“It’s fine, Pete,” you offered a meek smile, “go, help him, I’ll see you another time, okay?”

He couldn’t tear his gaze off of you. His tense demeanor never relaxed even when a sad smile crossed his face, “I’ll text you, I’m sorry,” he rushed toward the front door and without another word you heard the door shut quietly behind him.

You looked at the partially eaten hot dog on the table and decided that your appetite was too poor to finish it now. You wrapped it up as best as you could (you really wished you took the wrapping paper off more eloquently now) and stood up, walking into the kitchen to place it in the fridge. With Peter gone, you didn’t know what to do to distract yourself now. Sleep certainly wasn’t in the cards quite yet, so you figured a nice walk might do you well.

\-------------------------

It took longer for you to get dressed in some comfortable athletic clothes and make your way down onto the streets below than you had expected. Admittedly, you got distracted by social media and a few dozen videos online, though all that mattered was that you were out now. The moon had dawned itself upon the city and graced the streets with its humble light by now. You shoved your hands in your hoodie pockets and began forward, taking in a deep breath of the cool spring air. 

You couldn’t help but think of the news earlier, you remembered how stressed your coworkers at the Bugle were when the Vulture was first making his rise to infamy. There were rising events and new information coming out every day, it was certainly a hectic time. You hoped for the city’s sake that these images were all a hoax. 

Thoughts were buzzing through your head, though instead of being intrusive and negative in nature all of them were inquisitive. You wanted to know the truth of the situation. If this weren’t a hoax, how did he break out of the Raft? Who would have freed him? Your brows furrowed when your thoughts kept racing. You couldn’t help but worry about Otto and Peter, too. Peter really looked up to Otto and you knew how bad he wanted to help the doctor succeed.

You withdrew your phone from your pocket so that you could send a text to Peter.

Y/n: Hope everything is okay at the lab

Y/n: Keep me updated, okay?

You shoved your phone back in your pocket and continued forward. Hopefully, it wasn’t a life-threatening emergency Peter had to attend to. You wanted to believe that it was simply another breakthrough, perhaps one that would get Otto the recognition he deserved. 

As time passed you found yourself thinking about Otto and Peter more and more. Peter usually always responded to you in a timely manner, but now was different. You began to worry about whatever was going on and found yourself getting slightly annoyed by the fact that you didn’t know what was going on. You hated being out of the loop.

“Oh,” the startled sound came from you when you noticed a hooded man walking right at you, “e-excuse me--ow!” you tried to move out of his way but still bumped shoulders with the man. It felt like a shock went through your entire body and you glanced over your shoulder to say something, but he continued his fast-paced walk away from you.

You’d felt your share of bad static shocks before, but this one was by far the worst you’ve ever held witness to. You could still feel the numbness along your shoulder where he had bumped into you. The least he could have done was apologize, New Yorkers were really something.

Deciding it’d be better if you mind your business, you continued on and crossed the street. You’d already found yourself far from home, perhaps you could pick up a snack or two from the 7/11 nearby and make your way back home. A bag of chips and a big bottle of soda sounded appetizing right about now. 

Thankfully, the store was just down the block so it didn’t take too terribly long to reach it. You found yourself combing the aisles and grabbing more snacks than you thought you were going to get. You found yourself palming the glass of the freezer containing all of the ice creams, trying to decide which one you’d get (if any). 

“This is Colleen Rogers, I’m here to bring you an update on the breaking news,” your head snapped up to the T.V. on the corner of the ceiling, “we can confirm that there has been a break-in at the Raft, we do believe now that those images circulating around earlier this evening are in fact of the Vulture,” you felt your stomach do a flip, “Several inmates have been broken free, though the identities of all that are on the loose are not known for certain,” the blonde woman on the screen held a hand up to her ear, as if listening to information being fed to her, “I’m being told that some of the bigger names of the people who have escaped include Max Dillion, Aleksei Systevich, and Mac Gargan. Their alias’ are Electro, the Rhino, and the Scorpion, again, we are unsure of how or who broke them out and we don’t know where they currently are, we advise you to stay indoors and lock all doors and windows until we gain further knowledge.”

That was simply wonderful news. Not one, but four supervillains were on the loose now. You decided against the ice cream and walked up to the cashier, placing down your bag of chips and soda. You withdrew your wallet from your pocket and handed him cash. All you wanted to do was get home now, you didn’t like the thought that these people could be anywhere now. The cashier bagged your items and you thanked him under your breath, grabbing the bag and rushing out of the store. You pulled your phone out again and saw that Peter still hadn’t responded to you. Your brows furrowed.

Y/n: Peter? 

Y/n:I don’t know what you’re doing with Otto but please be careful going home, I just saw the news.

You were about to begin typing another text when a loud clatter stopped you in your tracks. It sounded like something fell and hit a garbage can in the alley beside you. You swallowed hard and turned your head slowly, seeing a figure slowly peeling themselves off of the industrial sized can. You could recognize that red and blue suit from a mile away.

“Spider-man?” You found yourself rushing into the alley to be his aid and when you got closer you could see the rips and soiled parts of his suit, “Jesus-- are you okay,” you reached over when you saw him stand with a slouch.

He looked like shit.

“Me? Y-Yeah, I’ll be fi--” he was cut off by a pained groan when you touched his side.

You recoiled, “I’m sorry!”

He shook his head and slowly straightened his posture, “y-you’re fine, listen,” you could feel his gaze burning through his mask, “you gotta get home, it’s not safe out here,” you could hear the urgency in his voice.

“Not to sound rude but you look like absolute shit,” you shook your head, “I don’t think you’re in any condition to go find anyone and fight them now, Spidey,” the nickname just slipped off of your tongue, it seemed to catch both you and the superhero off guard.

He lowered his head, “You know, you have a point,” he looked up at you again, “but I have enough strength to get you home at least, come on,” he put his arm out, “we’re not far from where I dropped you off last time, I can make it.”

Your brows furrowed, but he seemed insistent. You took a few steps closer to him and he swooped you up into his arms, though unlike before you could feel him tremble. You had no idea what he had gone through, but you had a slight idea. You had a feeling he had tangoed with all four of the escapees at once and obviously, it didn’t turn out well for him. 

In seconds you were in the air swinging, and much like before you clung to him for dear life. You tried to be careful this time, you didn’t want to pinch or put any pressure on any of his more tender areas.

“Can I ask you to do me a favor?”

The hero tilted his head, seeming curious.

“If I give you an address can you go there to check on someone,” you squeezed your eyes shut, “His name is Peter Parker, with who’s on the loose in the city now I’m just worried about him and he won’t respond to me.”

“Oh-- Peter I--” he seemed to blurt out, “I uh-- I--” he stammered, “I know that guy-- yeah!” He swallowed hard when he noticed you look at him in disbelief, “He- He did the uh..that Stark internship a few years ago, last I heard he was working with Doctor Octavius.”

Your eyes lit up-- Peter never told you he knew Spider-man, “H-He never told me you guys were--”

“Well, I’ve talked to him a uh...a few times here and there,” your feet were finally touching the ground on the roof of your complex, “I’ll check on him for you though.”

You were silent, gazing up at the masked man before you. His eyes seemed to be locked on yours, too. You felt your stomach flip and your face warm up. Slowly, you drew your arms away from him and tore your gaze away, “thank you.”

“All in a day's work, now go inside and get some rest.”

“I should be saying that to you,” you laughed under your breath and watched him take a few steps backward, “wait,” before he could go you reached forward and grabbed his hand, “thank you, I owe you...”

You slowly drew your hand away, “Maybe I’ll cash in on that one day,” you could hear the humor in his voice as he turned and leaped off the building.

You found yourself rushing toward the edge and watching in awe as he swung away. 

\------------------------

Peter expertly slid through his window and pressed the logo in the center of his chest, letting the suit fall off his body. He ripped the mask off and threw it under his bed, rushing over to his mirror. He studied himself for a long moment, discovering the bruising along his ribs. There was no way he got out of that without breaking a few of them. Slowly, he turned and glanced at his back to see the mostly healed wound from where Scorpion had stung him.

He needed to shower, he needed to sleep, but there was one thing that was more important than all of that. He walked over to his backpack and withdrew his phone.

Peter: I’m home, I’m sorry

Peter: The job with Otto is gone. It’s over.

\-------------------------

Morning came and went and you were still nestled in bed. You read Peter’s text time and time again and yet you still didn’t know what to say to him. You tore your blankets off of your body and sat up, Peter was always there for you so it was your turn to be there for him. You spent some time putting some makeup on and quickly changed out of your pajamas and into a tank top and leggings.

Y/n: I’m coming over.

You slipped your shoes on and within minutes found yourself close to the home Peter shared with his aunt. Once you arrived you knocked on the door and smiled warmly at the woman who answered.

“Oh Y/n,” she wrapped her arms around you, “Pete’s in his room honey, I don’t know if it’s the best time--”

“I know, he told me what happened,” you looked up at her after drawing away from her embrace, “I wanted to talk to him, is it okay if I come in?”

The woman adjusted the frames on her face and nodded, “of course, honey! You know where his room is,” she moved out of the way to allow you in, shutting the door behind you. 

You found yourself rushing to his room and knocked on the door, “Peter? It’s y/n,” there was silence, “Pete?”

The door slowly opened and your heart sank. He looked pale, almost sickly and under his eyes were deep bags that only made him look sicker. You took a step into his room and shut the door behind you, watching him look the other way.

“Oh, Pete,” you stepped forward and wrapped your arms around him, you could feel him tense, but slowly wrap his arms around you, “what happened, I don’t understand.”

He shook his head, “It’s a long story,” he mumbled, “I don’t really want to talk about it.” he tore himself away from your hold.

“Peter, it’s not good to hold stuff in like that.”

“Y/n, seriously it’s just too much to talk about right now.”

“You’re the one that told me that I shouldn’t keep shit in,” you pressed, “please, talk to me,” you reached forward to grab his hand and he yanked it away.

“I said not now!” He tensed when he realized his own angry tone and looked back at you.

That stung. You took in a deep breath, “fine,” you turned, “Just text me then Peter, I’ll see you whenever.”

“Y/n--”

It was too late, you were already out of his room and walking out of the house. He was always so secretive and always put up these walls. Just when you started to feel like you might have had-- no. You didn’t want to admit to it. It infuriated you that no matter how hard you tried to show that you cared for him and wanted to take care of him he would just shut you out like this. What was this friendship to him?

“Hey--”

“Shit-!” you shouted when you felt something hard smack against your head.

You stumbled back and rubbed your forehead, looking up at the masked man that hung upside down in front of you rubbing his own head, “I probably should have been more careful with that,” he grumbled, “Where are you going in such a rush anyway? 

You groaned and shook your head, “Anywhere but where I was, my ‘best friend’ isn’t being very cool right now,” you motioned some air quotes over the nickname.

You watched his eyes wince before opening back up, “do you want to talk about it?”

“He just shuts me out, I don’t know what I’m supposed to say or do to get him to let me in, you know?”

The hero flipped off of his web and landed on his feet on the ground, “I’m sure he wants to talk to you, but there are some things he probably can’t tell you about,” he noticed your confused gaze, “The Stark internship opened up a new world to him, he can’t really talk about most of the stuff he saw or did there,” he shrugged, “I mean, he could but it’s a lot of information that can get people into serious trouble.”

“But he looks sick, I know it’s not from whatever happened back then, I know him,” your lifted your hands and ran them through your hair, “I know there’s something serious going on with him right now and he just won’t talk to me.”

“H-He’s told me how much he cares about you,” he blurted out, causing you to freeze and look at him, “Whenever I uh...talked to him all he talked about was you...a-and his other friends of course but he always cherished what he had with you,” You felt your cheeks heat up, “listen, cool down a little bit and I’m sure he’ll reach out to you.”

You wondered if your face was as red as his suit. You looked down and felt the heat burning up to your ears. You never knew that he talked about you like that to other people. Part of you always wondered but you never thought you meant that much to him.

“Are uh...Are you okay?” your long silence must have caught the hero off guard.

“Y-Yeah...I’m just thinking,” you shook your head, “anyways, um...” you were desperate to change the subject now.

“Oh,” he seemed to notice the awkward air of the conversation now, “I do have a question for you, but I don’t want to force you to talk about it.”

“What is it?”

The suited man lowered his head, “Back at the hookah joint,” oh...it was about that, “did David say anything to you? I have a feeling that whoever he was working for is linked to the jailbreak yesterday,” he watched you look down and furrow your brows, “you don’t have to talk about it I--”

“No.” You looked up at him, “No I’m fine. He told me him and his guys were hired by the Maggia, they wanted him to get tritium--”

“Tritium?!” His stance spread, he seemed more stressed now, “Why did they need Tritium-- that doesn’t make sense...”

“I’m going to keep it real with you, I don’t quite know what that is. Chemistry isn’t my thing.”

His mechanical eyes zoomed in, “Well, it could be used for something completely harmless,” he turned his back toward you, “watches, exit signs, the sights of a gun,” he looked back at you, “but it can also be used for nuclear weapons. Somethin’ tells me that the Maggia-- or whoever wants the tritium-- doesn’t want to use it to light the way to their emergency exit.”

“If the Maggia is working for whoever set the prisoners at the Raft free then--”

“Whoever it now has the Maggia and my biggest enemies on their side,” he looked down and swore under his breath, “I think I have a feeling I know who it is too,” there was an eerie sound to his voice. He sounded angry, betrayed.  
You took a step forward, “is there anything I can do to help?”

He looked at you and thought for a long moment, “Off the top of my head, I don’t think I have anything you can do for me but thanks,” he scratched the back of his neck, “I’ve gotta go figure out who in this city has tritium and where it’s hidden,” he looked away, “We’ve both got some things we have to get figured out today, but hey,” you watched him take a few steps forward, “let me know how yours goes.” he shot a web at a street lamp and leaped forward, swinging away.

\---------------------------

“Karen! I need you to look up who has access to tritium in the city,” Peter swung forward, using a street light to push himself higher into the sky and swinging up onto a building, sticking to the wall.

“After an extensive search I’ve found that all tritium was seized by Oscorp two years ago,” the suit spoke back to you, “All laboratories were stripped. Any Tritium is going to be held in an undisclosed location by Oscorp.”

Peter thumped his head against the brick wall, “that’s just great... Otto is going to have a field day on Oscorp if he knows that’s where it’s all hidden,” he lifted his head in thought, “but Norman wouldn’t just keep all of it there...he’s not dumb--”

Karen's voice interrupted his thought, “Peter, it seems you have a text from Y/n.”

“What does it say?”

She opened up a screen on Peters line of sight that showed your message, his brows raising and warmth hitting the tips of his ears.

Y/n: I need to talk to you. Meet me tonight at 6, we’re going to dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long! I went on vacation and I just got super distracted and was catching up on some work when I got back home. I'm back though! I hope you enjoy this chapter >) things are gonna get real interesting real quick. Let me know what you guys think!! <3


	7. Dreamin'

_Ding dong!_

You can hear your doorbell go off and you adjusted the button up blouse you wore before you made your way to the door. You swung it open and looked up at the brunette with a surprised sound coming from you. Usually he’d wear some ill fitting T-shirt and his hair would be all matted and messy whenever he came over at this time, but this time was different. A cream colored long sleeve hugged his toned arms and a pair of black slacks accented his outfit. 

“Y-you’re dressed up,” you murmured as you drew your purse from the coat hanger by the door.

“Uh...something kinda told me that when you said dinner it wasn’t gonna be good old Joe’s,” he rubbed the back of his hand, walking by your side as the two of you made your way to the elevator, “what uh..what was the plan for dinner anyway and why are we going to dinner?”

You adjusted your ponytail and cleared your throat, “well, it wasn’t fair of me to expect you to talk to me earlier,” you looked up at him and discovered he was looking at you already, “I uh...I wanted to apologize and take you out to dinner, I think you could use a nice distraction anyway,” it didn’t take long for the two of you to exit the building once on the first floor, “we’re going to that new italian place around the block, it’s been open for a little over a month now and I’ve heard nothing but great things.”

You looked at him out of the corner of your eye to get a closer look at his outfit. He cleaned up pretty well when he wanted to. You smiled and looked down, feeling your cheeks warm up a bit. You looked up to take a peek at the sky, the sun was beginning to set so a vast range of colors painted the horizon. It was simply mesmerizing to look at.

“Is that the place?” Peters voice snapped you out of your daze.

You looked at the rather large line before you and slowly up at the well lit sign above the building, nodding, “Yeah...kind of a long wait if you ask me,” you looked at him and grinned, “well, if you’re not hungry we can always head to the park for a little bit, we still have some sunshine left to the day.”

He stared at the line for a long moment before back at you, nudging your arm with his elbow, “the park it is!”

\--------------------

The park was about a ten minute walk away, but the walk didn’t seem that long due to the witty conversation you were having with Peter. You took a long breath and kicked a pebble that was hidden under some tall grass, “We all used to come here all the time in high school,” you hummed, looking around, “we were supposed to be studying, but we always got a little too distracted and ended up making a game of whatever we were doing.”

“That or Ned would sneak whatever new lego figure he had out to the park and we’d spend hours trying to assemble it,” He chuckled, looking over at the small pond in the corner of the park, “Remember that time you bet you could hop across the rocks?”

“Don’t even talk to me about that,” you jeered, “I totally could have! I just wasn’t wearing the right shoes!”

“Are you kidding me? You fell face first into the pond!” he snickered.

“Don’t forget, I pulled you in when you tried to help!”

“How could I forget? You tricked me!” his pout was too much for you, you started cackling obscenely loud.

This sent Peter into a frenzy of his own giggles and you had to cover your mouth. You nudged him with your arm and sighed, finally cooling off from that bout of laughter when you noticed him clutch his side and his laughter faded into a short coughing fit.

“Hey, you okay?”

“Wh--” he coughed a few more times, “yeah, just laughed a little too hard there I guess,” he cleared his throat and let his arm drop to his side.

He walked over to a large tree and turned, leaning against the trunk before slowly sitting down at the base. You came over and followed suit. The two of you were silent, both staring up at the sky and basking in its glory.

“Hey, Pete?”

“Hm?”

“You never told me you knew Spider-man,” he snapped his head to look at you, “I don’t care that you didn’t tell me, I realize that there’s a lot of stuff you probably aren’t supposed to tell anyone. I don’t mind,” you turned your head to look at him, “but whatever you can say, you can tell me, I won’t look at you any differently.”

He was taken aback by this, meeting your strong gaze and melting into your smile, remaining silent.

“You’re important to me, Peter,” you felt your cheeks beginning to warm up again, a sudden burst of emotions flushed over you, “back at the hookah place I was scared, but all I kept thinking about was seeing you.”

He felt his own heart pounding and he glanced over you, noticing the hue burning at the apples of your cheeks. He could see the tears pricking at the corners of your eyes and yet all he could do was listen, feeling his chest burning with emotion.

“You’re such an important piece of my life now, I don’t know when it became this way but that’s what it is now. You’re my very best friend, Peter Parker,” you choked back the tears, “I guess I just wanted to let you know that I could never look at you different no matter what you’re going through,” you felt your heart pounding in your throat when you reached over and set your hand on top of his, “so I’m sorry for trying to make you talk before. But please, don’t push me out in those aspects, Peter,” you whispered his name.

He slowly lifted his hands and almost reflexively coiled his fingers around yours. He wanted to push you away to keep you safe, but he couldn’t do it anymore. It was hurting you too much and it was hurting part of him as well. He wanted to see you happy, he couldn’t think of living a life where he would have to cut you off entirely. That’s when he felt it.

A pang. It wasn’t like his spider sense. No. This was much different. It felt like someone was twisting his stomach into a knot. He felt his heart fluttering and pounding in his throat. He looked down at you and all of your gentle features until his gaze flicked over your lips. His breath caught in his throat when he felt it again. That same pang. A need, a want, a desire.

“Y-Y/n,”

You could feel his calloused hand against your cheek, “P-Peter...?”

You watched him lean over slowly and you felt your entire body heat up. You felt it then, you couldn’t quite put your finger on what emotion this was. All you knew was you couldn’t control the speed of your heart anymore. You couldn’t quite explain it, but you wanted to feel his lips against yours in that moment. Your lashes fluttered shut and your lips pursed.

Peter tensed when he felt that vibration tingle through his body-- now that was his spider sense. He felt the hair on his arms lift underneath his sweater and he lowered his hand from her face to her shoulder, using his other arm and craning it around her waist.

“W-Watch out!” cried an oncoming teenager when their frisbee was heading straight toward the two.

Peter flung himself down and yanked y/n on top of him, holding her close to his chest when you squeaked in surprise. The frisbee slapped loudly against the tree and fell to the ground with a quiet clank. 

The teenage boy ran over and picked it up quickly, “Sorry about that, uh...” he turned and quickly ran away, feeling guilty for ruining the moment.

You were completely embarrassed now. You were about to kiss Peter Parker! How was the night supposed to go on now? He was going to kiss you and you were full aware that you would have kissed him right back and it killed you to admit it. Were you just supposed to pretend it never happened? You didn’t want to lift your head from his chest, but when you heard his soft laughter you couldn’t help but raise your head, curious.

He slowly sat up and you shimmied off of his lap, batting your lashes when you heard him speak, “S-Sorry, this just felt like one of those weird movies we watched...”

You were glad he was at least able to make light of the situation, but you certainly wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about it any time soon. You quickly stood up and watched him stand with you, meeting his gaze again. You noticed his face was just about as red as yours and it made you feel less bad about yourself.

“Why don’t we just get Joe’s and call it a day,” you suggested, playing with your fingertips.

“That-- that sounds good!”

\----------------------

Joe’s pizza was as tasty as usual. The two of you had seemed to recover from your missed moment together in the park, but you still couldn’t get it off of your mind. You wanted to feel the warmth of his hand in yours again but you were too nervous to say it. You found yourself wondering what this meant for your relationship with him. 

“Thanks for dinner, y/n.”

You flicked your gaze onto him and smiled, “I told you, I owed you one after how much of a bitch I was to you earlier,” you insisted, following him into the elevator up to your room, “Are we gonna end this in the classic Joe’s night fashion?”

“Shitty movies on Netflix?”

“Oh, you woo me Peter,” you joked, biting your lip as you exited the elevator and made your way to the apartment.

You made your way over to the couch and pushed the coffee table out of the way, rolling the futon out and grabbing the T.V. remote, “I’m gonna leave you on picking duty,” you tossed the remote at him, having no doubts that he would catch it.

You pulled the blankets off of your bed and when you returned you saw Peter already made himself comfortable. You walked over and tossed the blanket over him, walking around the futon and sitting down next to him, stretching your legs out and yanking part of the blanket over yourself. You looked over at him and swallowed hard, looking at the T.V. again. The butterflies in your stomach simply wouldn't subside. 

“Hey, Y/n?”

You flinched and looked up at him, meeting his gaze, “Yeah?”

His jaw was tense again, “I was thinking about what you said earlier, I..I really appreciate it you know,” he kept his gaze on yours and you swore you could feel it burning a hole through your skull, “I’m going to be as open as I can with you, but there are just some things that I can’t tell you right now,” he lowered his head, “I’ve felt so bad lying to you so often but it’s just information that I can’t put out to the world, I made a promise and I have to keep it.”

“Pete,” you could hear the sorrow in his voice, “Please, look at me,” you cupped his cheek and guided his chin up to hold his gaze again, “You’re being as honest as you can. It’s not my place for me to try to force you to talk. It’s okay, I understand,” you smiled up at him.

He felt it again. His brows furrowed and he reached up, gripping your hand tightly in his, “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

You were certainly caught off guard with this, but you insisted, “Of all people in the world, you’re the last person I would be scared of getting hurt by.”

He clenched his jaw tight, he knew that it wouldn’t be him that would hurt you. He feared the danger you would get into because of him. He saved you on the bridge and he was barely able to neutralize the problem at the hookah lounge before it got too out of hand, though in the end you still got hurt. He was scared he wouldn’t be able to protect you from these situations forever. He feared the worst.

“Peter,”

“H-Huh?”

“Stay the night, we can watch these shitty movies all night long to get our mind off of everything,” a smile pulled at the corners of your lips, “Let’s just forget everything for a little bit, okay?”

He smiled at you and nodded, “that sounds like a great plan.”

\-------------------------

Several awful movies later, Peter found himself glancing down at you. He didn’t recall when but some time in the night you had fallen asleep and claimed him as your new pillow. Your head rested against his chest and your legs claimed one of his. He didn’t dare try to push you off, your grip on him was too strong. Though, part of him didn’t want you to let go. Admitting this to himself made his heart flutter.

He couldn’t stop thinking about your speech earlier and how it made his entire week. The image of your flushed, teary eyed face was engraved in his head now. He wanted to pull you in and kiss you, he wanted to feel how soft your lips were, feel your arms wrap around him and squeeze him again. However, part of him was aching to push you away and keep you out of his mess of a life. Things had gotten a lot more difficult after Tony’s passing and Peter still wasn’t completely over it. He didn’t want to drag you into that. He didn’t want to disappear one day and leave you wondering if he was even alive.

Being the friendly neighborhood Spider-man just wasn’t the same anymore. He was grown now and he understood the consequences that came with being Spider-man. He was torn, but he promised you he wouldn't lie anymore. He wanted to be open and honest, but he simply wasn’t ready to tell you about his secret identity-- especially with what was going on now. His brows furrowed upon the recollection of the events that conspired at the Raft. Electro, Scorpion, Rhino, the Vulture, and even that new guy who Peter was still unsure what to call (perhaps mister negative, after all he looked like a photo someone had photoshopped a negative filter over). 

Though, the worst of it all was the familiar face that climbed up the side of the building. The face of someone he looked up to like a father. Otto Octavius. He threw all of his inhibitions away and chose to forge a new path with his new robotic limbs. Peter felt betrayed. Things were going to get a lot messier around the city now with these villains out and about. He still had to figure out why they needed tritium in the first place. There was no way he could bring you into that.

He was ripped from his thoughts when he heard you mumble something under your breath and squeeze his sides. If the opportunity arose, he promised himself he would tell you everything, but for now he’d do anything to keep you from gaining that knowledge. He wanted to keep you happy and safe. He wanted to see you smiling bright again. He leaned over and gently pressed his lips against your forehead, closing his eyes when his face warmed up, drawing away and pressing a button on the remote to turn the T.V. off. He’d face all of his thoughts in the morning, for now he would get some rest.

\------------------

You could feel the uneven beat of your heart thumping in your chest. Your breath was hot and heavy and your body twitched when you felt calloused hands inching up your shirt. Desire flooded your body and you wanted more. Your fingers traced up the man’s neck until you were able to cup his face, pulling it back in and smashing your lips against his.

You felt his tongue push past your lips and his hands play at the hem of your shorts. Your hands shot down to aid him in pulling them off and while you bussied yourself with that, his hands were pushing back up your shirt, fondling your breasts. A quiet moan broke the seal your lips once had and you peeked your eyes open again.

“P-Peter--” his name slipped off of your tongue like butter, “P-Pete-!”

Your eyes snapped open and you jolted awake. Your face was on fire. You did not just have that dream-- no way in hell you did! You heard the front door open and you jumped, looking in the direction expecting to see Peter. The face you saw had you more surprised.

“Sara!” A great distraction from your rather pleasant dream, “You’re home!” you kicked the blankets off and practically fell off of the futon, stumbling over and wrapping your arms around her.

“It’s good to be back,” she hummed into your ear, squeezing you into the hug before drawing away, “Tess is still back at home with her family, she needs some time still.”

“That’s understandable, how have you been?”

“Great, I’m mostly recovered after the event, I’m just happy to be back and be able to move on from it, you know?” You watched her walk into the kitchen and plug the Keurig coffee machine in, “Mm, I saw Petey boy slept over,” she reached for the k-pods in the cabinet while the machine roared to life and began to heat up the water to prepare itself, “in fact, I saw you two snuggling it up this morning when I got home, what’s that all about?” she winked in your direction.

You gulped and had no response.

“Oh my god wait-- did you and--” she snickered, “Did you and Peter hook up while we were gone?”

“Wh-what- no!”

Sara stared at your flushed cheeks and narrowed her eyes, “You know, I believe you just because you both were fully clothed...but I do feel like you’re keepin’ something from me,” she popped the pod into the machine and placed her favorite pink mug underneath the spout, “spit it out.”

Your brows furrowed, “I really hate that you know everything about me.”

She shrugged, “We’ve been friends for how long? I know your mannerisms, girl. Don’t be afraid to talk either, he woke up not long after I got home and said he had somethin’ he had to do and left.” 

“Well after you guys left he like refused to leave my side,” you took a seat on the futon and pulled the blanket over yourself, “he kept me company and just always did everything to make sure I felt better and it really got me thinking of something.”

Sara withdrew the tub of sugar from the corner of the counter, “oh? And what’s that?”

“I think I like peter.”

The brunette raised her head, “oh, so you’re finally gonna admit it?”

“Shut up,” you chuffed, “recently things have just been so different. I feel like Pete and I have learned a lot about ourselves and each other recently and uh...”

“Uh?” Sara pressed.

“We had a moment in the park yesterday.”

“A moment,” the news was juicy to her, she wanted to hear more and you could tell.

You gave in to her need, “I think we almost kissed-- well, we definitely almost kissed. I just went along like it never even happened after!”

“y/n!”

“And can I be honest with you?” You watched Sara lift her head, intrigued and very well knowing that this was going to be the juiciest part, “I had a dream about him last night,” you looked away, embarrassed.

“Why didn’t you try to kiss him?”

“Because I don’t know if he likes me like that, I don’t want to ruin what we have and make things awkward, y’know?”

Sara mixed the sugar into her coffee and pulled some creamer out of the fridge, “You obviously have it for him hard and, sorry to break it to your ignorant ass but Petey’s got somethin’ for you too, we all can see it,” she noticed your side eyes, “all of us except for you, apparently, why don’t you talk to him about it, we’re all adults.”

You rubbed your arm, “I’ve never had experience in the dating department. I literally don’t know how I would even go about talking about it to him. What if everyone is wrong and he only likes me as a friend? I just really don’t want to screw things up.”

You watched her pull out her phone as she stirred her coffee, seeming to be texting someone, “You’ll never know if you don’t put yourself out there, you gotta be confident and just go for it,” she winked, “you gotta shoot your shot, baby!”

You rolled your eyes and stood up, “It’s a lot easier said than done,” you pushed the futon cushions back in, “I just wish I could wake up with the confidence one day. I don’t want to rush into anything either, but part of me also just wishes I kissed him.”

Sara ran her fingers through her thick mane and shrugged, “You’ve got plenty more opportunities to do that, y’know,” she giggled, “anyways, this coffee isn’t hitting right, I need a cloud macchiato or somethin’, you want anything?”

You looked at her with furrowed brows, “you and your caffeine addiction,” you rolled your eyes, “I guess a matcha frappe would work, thanks.”

“Hey, at least it isn’t a crack addiction,” she snorted, “and besides, I need to go to the mall and pick up some clothes, anyway,” she shrugged, “if I see any hot outfits I’ll definitely be sure to pick something up for you,” she clicked her tongue, “i’ll be back!” 

And with that, she was gone. You sighed and looked at your phone only to see that there were no notifications. Today was already looking long and boring, but you supposed you could use the time to catch up on some of the college work you’d missed.

Yeah. Long and boring day.

\----------------------

“Peter, it appears you have an incoming text message.” Karen’s voice echoed in Peters ears.

Peter was crawling along the ceiling in a place that was quite familiar to him. Doctor Otto Octavius’s lab. Otto usually wasn’t in this early in the morning so he hoped he could get some insight quick before he showed up, “Wh-from who?”

“Sara Rogers,” Karen pushed the pop up of the message up on Peters HUD.

Sara R: Hey Petey boy, long time no text!

That was for sure. Sara only ever texted Peter when there was an emergency...or when she needed help with calculus, “What does she want now-- this isn’t the greatest time..” he whispered, mechanical eyes zooming on a new piece of equipment that was covered by a large white tarp, “Karen, respond to that and say, ‘Hey, what’s going on?’”

“Message sent.”

He carefully dropped from the ceiling and walked over to the mystery object, grabbing onto the corner of the tarp and ripping it off. It was a large whiteboard on wheels and it looked like it had some sort of blueprint drawn out on it. Peter tilted his head before groaning when another message pop up appeared on his HUD.

Sara R: Not much! I’m actually going to grab some coffee soon, did you want to meet up and catch up? It’s been a while!

“What- why the hell would Sara want to hang out alone-- that’s weird, really weird...”

“She is acquainted with your friend, y/n, perhaps she just wants to know you better,” Karen chimed in her opinion.

Peter shook his head, “Yea well, I thought she knew me well enough, just tell her I guess, ask for which place she’s going to and tell her I’ll meet her there.”

The popup disappears with Karen’s soft, “message sent” alert.

The brunette sighed under the mask and turned his attention back to the whiteboard. It seemed there was a list of materials that included tritium. Peters eyes widened under the mask when he saw the blueprint drawn out on the other side of the white board, “oh my god,” he whispered, taking a few steps back, “he’s building some sort of reactor but...” he shook his head, “no no no...if he uses this much it’ll be a bomb-- the tritium isn’t stable enough to withstand--”

Peter snapped his head back when he heard a door open. He leapt up and clung to the ceiling, rushing to crawl towards the air vent he snuck in through, “should I activate instant kill mode?”

“What-- no-- Karen knock it off with that instant kill stuff!” he hissed quietly to the A.I. as he snuck into the vent, looking down and noticing the familiar face that strode into the room with a new found confidence.

Otto looked over at his white board and seemed to notice the tarp that Peter failed to put back. He walked over and picked it up, looking around. Peter watched from the vent as the metallic appendages shot out of his back, clicking and clamping against the ground, lifting him up and walking him through the lab. He had to get out of here before he got caught.

Quickly, Peter slipped through the vents and climbed out at the roof, “I have to figure out where that tritium is and get to it before they do... I’ll do the research today.” he chuffed, “Karen, tell Sara I’m on the way.”

\-------------------

It didn’t take Peter long to reach the cafe. He clutched his backpack close and walked in, seeing the familiar brunette sitting by herself at a table for two. He took a deep breath and gathered his confidence, walking over.

“Pete!” she stood up, “I’m glad you came, we didn’t get to talk much at the apartment this morning,” she walked around the table and wrapped her arms around him, “sit, let’s talk!” she returned to her seat.

Peter couldn’t help but feel like he was about to get interrogated for some reason, “so uh, what did you want to talk about...exactly?”

“Well, I wanted to thank you for being around for y/n when Tess and I weren’t able to be.”

Peter was taken aback, “W-well that’s what friends are for. I didn’t want her to go through it by yourself and I knew you guys had gone home for your own comfort--” He swallowed hard, “I didn’t mean to say it like that, of course you would have gone away for a while you two really needed the support too--” he was a stuttering mess, something about Sara just intimidated him.

“I didn’t take offense, you’re fine hun,” she couldn’t withhold her laughter, causing Peter to sink into his seat a bit, “I’m just glad she has someone she’s close to, I mean we’re pretty close but,” she paused, sipping at her coffee, “you mean a lot to her, Peter.”

He definitely felt like he was being sat down by a stern father and about to be given ‘the talk, “we’re really close, I really think she means as much to me as you’re saying I do to her,” he found the worlds just rolling out of his mouth, flustered after he realized what he had admitted to her friend.

She seemed pleased by this response, “It’s good to hear that, some guys just get so weird even with their friendships,” her nose wrinkled, “Like that Eddie Brock guy at her job, he’s made some weird advancements on her before and she’s talked about how he’s made her uncomfortable, but I only ever hear good things about you,” she hummed, “not to be nosy but,” she leaned forward, setting her clear cup down and folding her hands, “What’re in the cards for you two.”

“H-Huh?”

She rolled her eyes, “I don’t want to be pushy or anything, but she’s never had a relationship before and I know about your relationship with Liz...She was real heartbroken apparently,” she eyed Peter, “I’m totally overstepping but do you have a thing for y/n?”

There was that feeling again. Peter really didn’t want to talk about this, but he was here now, what was he supposed to do, get up and walk away?

“It-It’s complicated.”

Sara sighed and rested her cheek in the palm of her hand, “Just don’t string her along, she really adores you and I wouldn’t want to see what you guys have fall apart.”

“I wouldn’t...” He stared at Sara, “I’d never do anything to hurt her, I can say that with certainty.”

She kept her gaze locked onto yours for a long few moments before speaking up, “I believe you, Peter. You’re a really good guy,” she hummed, “I’m really rooting for you.”

He looked down and fidgeted with his fingers, “I just don’t want to disappoint anyone.” he admitted.

“Disappoint? How could you do that, Pete?”

He’d already spoken at more length about this with y/n, but the feeling still lingered, “I never wanted to, but I feel like I’ve made people expect this bigger, better me but I just don’t feel like I can be that.”

“Peter,” Sara leaned forward again, “you already are that to her,” her thin brows arched forward, “I don’t think it quite matters what I think-- not to say that I don’t think you’re a great guy, I mean, you’re a little awkward sometimes if I’m being honest but it’s kind of...pure,” she giggled, “listen, you are your own worst enemy, Peter, you may think that you’re not good enough but god if you could hear how fondly y/n talks about you you would be amazed,” she smiled so wide that her dimples showed, “Even after that hot rod hero saved her, she didn’t even chase after him, she only thinks about updating you and keeping you in the loop, now if that were me,” she bit her lip, “it’d be a different story, I like my men in suits,” Peter felt his cheeks warm up, “but I digress, look, I’ll tell you what I told her, you have to live on the edge sometimes. Don’t let your opportunities slip between your fingers.”

He looked down, “Theoretically speaking, how would I even go about bringing anything up with her?”

Sara rolled her eyes and pulled her drink close, taking a long sip through her straw, “God, just ask her on a date or something, take her out somewhere, surprise her,” she hummed, “woo her, I know it may seem hard but she’s really easily pleased by things, just being out with you might make her feel good.” she shrugged.

He drew his phone out of his pocket and looked at it, noticing a text from y/n.

Y/n: I’m absolutely DROWNING in this homework, who said it was okay for me to miss this much class?!

He looked up at Sara who had a single raised brow before looking back down at his phone and opening it up.

Peter: I can help you catch up, I’ll come over now.

He chewed on his lip after sending the message. He had done a lot of courageous things as Spider-man, yet this felt like the most challenging, bold thing he’s done in his whole life. He slowly stood up and looked at Sara, “I think I might just have plans with her now actually.”

Sara couldn’t contain her smile, “I’ll be out for a while,” she watched him swing his backpack on.

He looked at her and offered a nervous smile, “Thank you, I didn’t expect this talk but uh...I kind of appreciate it.”

 

The brunette before him simply smiled and glanced up at him. She took one last sip of her drink and murmured, “Go get her, tiger.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaaa some good ol' fluff for the soul! this was so refreshing to write...just wait for the next chapter ur gonna enjoy it so much >) again thank you guys so much for the positive reception! Thank you everyone so much aaaa let me know what you think of this one!


	8. Two Slow Dancers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note! I want to be as inclusive as I can be with this writing so I didn't want to force a size onto the character/reader. Y/C/S will mean your clothing size. Anywho, enjoy the chapter!!

Peter: I can help you catch up, I’ll come over now.

You couldn’t explain it, but you felt nervous. You were still haunted by the memory of your near kiss with him yesterday. You found yourself staring at your laptop for minutes before finally catching yourself. You shoved it away and pulled your knees to your chest, burying your face in them. You felt like a giddy high school girl, it was gross to you. 

After around half an hour of waiting anxiously, you felt your phone buzz and you glanced at it, noticing the text from Peter alerting you that he had arrived. You stood up and made your way out of the room, opening the front door for him and looking the other way.

“Someone call for a tutor?” his chuckle made you feel less nervous, in fact, it melted most of your anxieties away.

You rolled your eyes and turned the other way, “It’s not as much as it could be, but it’s mostly chem so that’s why it’s a little overwhelming,” you explained, walking into your room and shutting the door behind him once he came in too.

“I think I might be able to help you with that,” He chirped, sitting on the edge of your bed after you climbed up onto it.

He examined the laptop when you turned it to face him and you took the opportunity to find yourself lost, admiring him. The soft curve of his jawline, the way his brows furrowed ever so slightly whenever he focused on something, the way his smooth brown locks loosely falling into his face. You had to tear your gaze away when he looked up at you.

“Yeah we did this the other day, I thought I helped you with this before...?”

You tensed up and looked at your laptop, “I...don't understand it still...I tried to get it, I really did but--”

You were interrupted by his overly dramatic gasp, “Are you telling me that you only cared to get the answers?” He raised a hand to his forehead and fell back against your bed, sighing, “you used me!”

You found yourself giggling, “Shut up! It was a lot of work, okay?” 

He jumped up and gripped the sides of his head, “It’s College Chemistry!” he almost cackled.

His laughter didn’t help slow yours, “I mean if you have the answers that could make things so much easier,” the betrayed look on his face only made your stomach heave, “I-I just need t-to pass this class!” you stuttered almost incoherently between giggles.

He shook his head, “I mean,” he managed to calm himself a bit, “I guess you do have an excuse...I guess I could...”

“Wait, really?”

He met your gaze and noticed the way your eyes glistened with excitement, “I don’t want to condone this but...I can just send you the file when I get home I guess.” He fake groaned.

You jumped up and grabbed his hands, lowering your head against them, “Oh yes! Peter, yet again you’ve saved me from this hell!” You twisted around and slapped your laptop screen closed, “That chapter was the last bit of work I had left to do!” You flopped back against your bed, “Peter Parker saves the day yet again.”

Peter glanced at you and leaned over, “So uh...are you just gonna lay in bed for the rest of the day then?” 

The thought sounded ideal, “maybe,” you murmured, live a little, live on the edge, have some fun, Sara’s words echoed through your head and it dared you to recite your next statement, “You can join me, if you want,” you leaned over and grabbed your laptop, carefully placing it on the floor before sliding properly into your bed, laying your head on your pillow.

He seemed surprised by your invite and shrugged, kicking his shoes off and settling down next to you. He thought about his talk with Sara and he felt his nerves starting to act up. Thinking about how close he was to kissing you yesterday riled something up within him. He still wasn’t sure where the bravery came from but he sure wished he had that now.

“I’m excited to be going back to class soon,” you piped up after that awkward silence, “It’ll be nice to actually make something of my day,” she turned to look at you, “however, I think I’ll miss all this free time with you.”

His brows raised on instinct, caught off guard by this, “I mean we have some classes together still, but you being back means all of us are going to mess around way too much again,” he snickered, “I think the professor is getting sick of us.”

You smiled, “you think? She loves you and Ned but she hates my guts, I literally never know anything she’s talking about.”

“I’m not really helping with that right now...”

“Listen I just need to pass this class and then I’ll never need to touch Chem again! So you’re actually doing her a favor,” you hummed playfully, “she won’t have to see my face in her class ever again after this semester!” 

Peter rolled his eyes and yet again a silence overtook the room. He glanced up at you and noticed you staring at him. He watched your realization and noticed the rose-colored hue your cheeks became before you looked down. He wanted to feel your cheeks again. He wanted to draw you closer and yet he was simply lacking the courage to do so.

The silence was simply too much for you. You had to do it, you had to break the ice and say something! You felt that familiar bout of nausea sweep over you again and you began to panic.

“Not to drop a bomb but um...There is something I wanted to talk to you about,” you watched him meet your gaze and it made it harder for you to try to pin your words together, “I just need to get it off my chest b-but I think I might be-- er,” no, that’s not quite how you wanted to say it, “I mean, I’ve had a lot of time to think lately and I think that I’m coming to a conclusion,” you sucked in a deep breath and Peter knew this was it, this was your confession, “I think that-- well I mean like..back in the park I just thought, well...”

At least he thought this was your confession, but you were rambling and he knew you would never be able to get the words out. He’d never seen you as hesitant before and it was stunning to him that he made you this way. He too had words he wanted to say, though he figured he might just ramble on much like you were now. He had to do it, he had to bite the bullet and do something!

“Let’s go out!” His words came tumbling out of his mouth and both you and Peter fell silent, staring at each other, “I-I-I mean like-- to dinner or..or a date or...something...” His words fell off track as he continued to speak, falling quiet and watching your dazed, pink expression.

“Oh,” was all that you could muster out in your state of surprise and it was obviously disheartening to the man before you, “O-Oh! I mean--” You sat up and looked everywhere but at him, “Like...like tonight or..”

Peter followed suit and played with his fingers, “Well, anytime I mean...tonight...tonight works!” He was a stuttering mess and you adored every word he tripped over.

“I can do tonight,” you felt a calm rush over you, perhaps it was the adrenaline, “where are you going to take me, Peter?” 

Your words flowed off of your tongue in a confident purr and it caught Peter off guard, “Oh,” he bit his lip, your sudden confidence was intimidating but he had to admit that he quite liked it, “That place you wanted to go, I can uh...I can call in a reservation for tonight.”

He knew just the way to win you, though you had to admit it wasn’t a competition in the first place, “It’s a date then!” you hummed softly, “What um...what time should we leave?”

“8:00 work?”

“That sounds amazing,” you gnawed on your lip and glanced at him, your heart was racing and the awkward silence you yet again shared was overbearing, “Hey uh...Peter?”

“Huh?”

“Maybe we should like...part ways and have some time to get ready?”

Peter jumped and quickly climbed out of your bed, “Y-Yeah, no yeah you’re right,” he leaned over and quickly slipped his shoes on, sloppily tying the laces, “Yeah I’ll be here at like...7:30?”

You pulled your knees up to your chest and offered a quick nod, “Mmhmm, that sounds good!” 

He took a few steps backward and shot some finger guns at you, “Great-- okay! Awesome--” he tripped on a pair of your shoes and looked backward, catching himself before he fell, “uh--”

You couldn’t contain your laughter as he made a fool of himself, “Bye, Peter, I’ll see you later,” he offered a quick wave before turning and silently walking out of your room.

You listened closely and once you heard the front door shut you jumped out of bed and slammed your hands onto the surface of your vanity. You leaned over and looked at yourself closely in the mirror, easing a long shaky breath. You were going on a date with Peter Parker tonight. Keep calm, y/n, keep calm.

Y/N: Mind doing me a favor?

There was one thing you were sure of. You sucked at holding your excitement. 

Sara: What’s up hun?

Y/N: Mind picking me up a cute sundress? 

Y/N: I have a ~*~*date*~*~ tonight

Sara: Y/C/S, right?

Y/N: You know me so well.

Sara: I’ll see what I can get for you. Do a neutral makeup look I saw something the other day that’ll look PERF on you!

You couldn’t contain your smile. You set your phone down and began to pull several makeup palettes from the drawers. You felt magical, you felt like this wasn’t even real. Of course, you did wonder what this meant for you two. You didn’t mind moving slow but you were nervous about the worst possible outcome. You felt a tinge of anxiety, wondering if things would be clear cut.

You spent the next hour beating and blending your makeup to perfection. You were busy with applying your pinky nude lipstick when you heard the front door shut. You popped the cap back on the tube and bounded into the living room. You noticed how many bags Sara carried and stared at her, confused.

“Listen, some of this stuff is for me too,” she set down all the yellow bags, withdrawing a box from one, “these are your shoes, if I remember right we’re the same shoe size,” you plucked the box from her hands, “I went half a size up because they’re heels, fashion doesn’t always mean pain,” she chirped as she went through another bag, “okay, this is your dress,” she slowly withdrew the short sundress.

You gasped and set the box down, “Sara, it’s beautiful!”

“It’s not too dressy either,” she hummed and handed the outfit over to you, “very soft, very flowy, and most importantly, very comfy. It’s everything you’d love.”

You looked over the cream-colored dress that was speckled with the print of sunflowers. The skirt had a very loose pleat to it which made you imagine it was going to be loose and flowy around your hips. You pulled the dress close to yourself before glancing up at her.

“It’s perfect, I really owe you one, Sara,” you stepped forward and pulled her into a tight embrace.

She drew away after a long moment, “of course! It’s your first date like... ever right?” Your modest smile was the only response she needed, “I’m gonna curl your hair and put it into a ponytail for tonight, okay?”

You smiled and nodded, “okay... am I doing too much though?” Sara shot a confused glance at you, “I mean, Peter’s dated before. I kind of feel like I’m... I dunno... being too fancy...”

“Hun, you know what I say,” she picked up the drink she had set on the counter when she walked in and handed it to you, “being a little extra sometimes is its own form of self-care, besides,” she stuck her tongue out, “it’s not like you’re stepping out in a cocktail dress or anything too... bold.”

She had a point, she usually always did. You took the drink and walked into your room, setting the dress on your bed and looking over at your phone when you noticed the screen flicker off. You clicked the button in the center to bring it to life again and notice the notification on your lock screen.

Peter: I sent you the file for the homework

Peter: I’ll see you tonight.

You set your drink down and looked at yourself in your reflection. You felt good. You were nervous but you were sure that’s just what came with first dates. You knew Peter wasn’t the type of guy to do anything weird and hurt you. He was a pure person, but that made you even more nervous. You found yourself drifting off and thinking about the park again, rolling your eyes at yourself.

Certainly, there were other things you could think of. You glanced at yourself in the mirror and smiled. Certainly, there were, but you only wanted to think about him. Your heart was aflutter and you felt the crystalized cocoons in your stomach morph into butterflies. You gnawed on your lip and flipped your phone upside down. You were too preoccupied to reply. You had things to do, after all.

———————-

You took the time before you had to get dressed to get onto your laptop and copy the answers from Peters work onto your own worksheet. He’d be heading over soon and thankfully you were just finishing up. You closed your laptop screen and looked at the dress that laid on the edge of your bed. 

You slid out of bed and peeled your clothes off, reaching for the dress and pulling it on, making sure you were careful as to not ruin the updo Sara gave you earlier. You patted it out and twirled, looking at your reflection and smiling. You felt beautiful. The neck was plunging, though it still remained modest around your breasts. It scooped up into short sleeves that clung to your arms and the skirt frilled out just as you’d expected.

You walked into the living room and your steps earned your friend's attention, “oh my god!” She practically jumped over the back of the couch, “you look amazing! I adore that dress on you,” she hummed, “put the shoes on, I have to see the whole ‘fit!”

“God, you’re like a mom right now,” you chuffed, pulling the black chunky heels out of the box that you had left in the middle of the floor.

It took you a few moments to slide them on and buckle the small belt along each ankle. They definitely added a few inches to you, but you didn’t mind, “Okay okay okay! I’m gonna try to mind my business when he gets here but you have to tell me the face he makes when he sees you,” she demanded, “you look like a whole meal!”

Your brows crinkled and you stifled a laugh, her slang always made you laugh, “god, shut up!” You always wondered where she got these phrases from, “he should be here any minute, I actually feel kind of nervous,” you played with the skirt of your dress, “we hang out all the time, I don’t understand why I’m so nervous.”

Sara slowly rose from the couch and walked around it to confront you, “Y/n,” she clasped your shoulders, “relax, I get that it’s a date but you just said it, you hang out all the time.” She tilted her head and smiled, “It’s just Peter, it’s not a blind date, it’s not a tinder date, it’s Peter.”

It was Peter. You took a deep breath and mustered the strength to put on a smile, wrapping your arms around her and pulling her into a hug. You were so glad you had a friend like her to get you through things like this. Your confidence was much higher with her help and you were antsy to get out of the house. Thankfully, a strike against the door rang through the apartment and Sara tucked herself away.

“Go,” she hummed, watching you grab your purse and nod, “have fun tonight, hun!”

You looked back at her with a smile and mouthed a simple ‘thank you’ before swinging the door open and bat your lashes when you noticed you weren’t the only one that took it upon yourself to dress up a little. Peter stood before you wearing a white T-shirt that was partially concealed by a black casual blazer and light wash slightly distressed jeans matched with a pair of converse. Though, your favorite part to look at by far was the dorky smile that remained plastered against his cheeks when he met your gaze. You were too busy looking at him to notice the glance he stole of you.

“W-wow,” he breathed, “You look great-- I mean not that you don’t look good usually but--” you watched his adam's apple bob as he swallowed hard, “Are you ready to go?”

You pulled your purse close to yourself and nodded, walking out the front door and walking by his side with your hands held behind your back, “You look really nice too, Pete,” you finally managed to pull a compliment out for him. 

You refused to make eye contact when the two of you walked into the elevator but you noticed him looking at you out of the corner of your eye. You didn’t want things to feel tense or awkward but this wasn’t a good start. It wasn’t his fault, either, you were just inexplicably nervous and you couldn’t pull yourself together.

“Did you get the file, by the way?”

“Huh--” The file, the homework he sent you earlier you finally understood, “Oh, yes! You’re a lifesaver,” you hummed and nudged him with your elbow, “I feel like I say this a lot but what would I do without you, Peter,” you giggled.

He put his hands in his pockets as he walked, though you didn’t notice he did this to distract himself. Since he got there he was trying to find anything to do to distract him from fidgeting. He too was nervous but he was rather good at hiding it. You glanced up at him with a smile and noticed his upturned brows. He looked stiff and you were beginning to understand that you weren’t the only one who was tense.

Live on the edge sometimes!

Sara's words echoed in your head and it helped bring you strength. You reached over, looping your arm around his. He looked down when he felt your fingers wrap around his bicep and you hesitantly turned your head to meet his gaze. He was tense for a moment but he quickly relaxed and you felt his muscles ease under the tips of your fingers. You felt him pull his arm closer to himself and it pulled you close. You simply looked ahead and smiled.

The walk to the restaurant was short and the wait was even shorter thanks to the reservation Peter called in. It was a lot fancier than you had anticipated. The restaurant was dimly lit and the quiet tune played by a piano echoed through the establishment. Once you were seated you took a glance over the menu, though it took you many attempts of scanning it over until you actually read it. You were too distracted by each short-lived topic you and Peter swung into.

You were glad how quick you both chose your entrees of choice and thankful for the attentiveness of the waiter who took your order. Now all of these moments were time for you two to talk. You found yourself wondering why you were so nervous before, it really was like another day with him. All of the what if’s slipped from your mind as you lived only in this present moment, enjoying his company.

“So,” Peter piped up after taking a sip of his water, “I need to tell you something about the other day,” he watched your expression change from intrigued to confused with just a shift of your brows, “I’m sorry I was well...an asshole really the other day and I never even apologized properly I don’t think,” his fingers drummed along the glass.

“Pete,” you tilted your head, “I told you, you don’t have to talk about things if you aren’t comfortabl--”

“No, it’s fine, I’ve been thinking about it.” he took a deep breath and studied your expression. He watched your lips purse and part and noticed the guilty look and he was sure you didn’t even know you were making such a face. He’d recited this lie the whole time on the walk here and yet he still didn’t want to say it. He felt a twinge of guilt and he had to remind himself that the story wasn’t completely fabricated.

Out with it Peter, “I lost my job with Otto,” he looked down and continued to fidget with his glass of water, “I shouldn’t have lost my cool like that with you though, I was upset and I should have empathized.”

Your jaw had dropped and you felt guilt fill you, “Peter,” you murmured but he shook his head and interrupted you.

“It’s fine, really! I already put in an application at Joe’s and if that doesn’t work out I’ll just apply to work on campus.”

You pushed the straw around the glass of your own drink, “I can’t believe Otto fired you,” you whispered, it didn’t sound right, that didn’t sound like Otto.

“H-He didn’t!” Peter was quick to jump to his defense, “Uh..well he just couldn’t afford to keep paying me anymore and Oscorp seized a lot of his stuff, it came outta left field for both of us..”

His words came off cool and collected but his tense shoulders told you a different story, “I can see if they need an extra hand at the bugle, maybe I can get you in..?”

Your offer seemed to catch him off guard and he quickly shook his head, “Wh- me, journalism? I don’t really think writing is my strong suit.”

“Oh, I forgot, you’re the math and science nerd,” you challenged with a smile.

His smile mirrored yours, “Don’t forget who sent you all the answers!”

You had to cover your mouth to contain your laughter. The rest of the dinner went on like this; foolish banter, short friendly conversations, it never fell short of a good time. You didn’t wine, though you certainly dined, in fact you were quite surprised that you had the appetite to eat your whole meal. You were convinced that you were too deep in conversation with Peter that you didn’t notice.

When the check was placed on the table you reached over to grab it only for it to be snatched away just before you could reach it, “Hey-!”

“Nope,” a sly grin was lighting up his features, “I’ve got this one,” he murmured as he pulled his wallet out of his back pocket.

“Peter!” you leaned over, “You should save your money--”

“Hey, I have enough saved to get me by for the next month or so, so let me get this,” and before you could say anything to object the waiter came by and took the tab.

Your brows dipped and you shook your head, “You are too kind for your own good sometimes, Pete.”

Once the waiter came back with the tab Peter thanked the waiter and signed the receipt. Soon enough the two of you were already on your way back to your apartment. It truly did feel like just another hang out with Peter and you enjoyed that. You didn’t mind if this--whatever this was-- moved slow. There was a lot going on for both of you now and that was obvious but you had each other to get through it.

Another cold breeze brushed passed your skin and left goosebumps dancing across your arms. You glanced up at the sky and smiled, “Thanks again for dinner, Peter,” you whispered as you crossed your arms and began to rub the skin in hopes of warming yourself up.

“Thanks for...well...” he shifted, “for coming along...?” God, he was as awkward as ever but you adored that.

Your quiet laughter was interrupted when you felt something warm swing over your shoulders and you looked at your shoulder. You noticed the thick black fabric of his blazer now hanging over your arms. You snapped your head up to look at him as you reached up and clutched the arms of it. Peter was already looking away and you wholeheartedly wished he could have seen the warm smile that crossed your cheeks.

“You looked a little cold,” he piped up a quick explanation.

You felt warm inside, “Well you were right, I appreciate it,” you dared to slip your arms in the sleeves and pull it on properly. It was decently large on you but it provided the warmth you needed.

You felt your stomach doing flips again. Your impulsive nature screamed at you. It begged for his attention, it wanted to be swooped into his arms and it craved the taste of his kiss. You knew better, though. You knew this wasn’t something you could just rush, especially not with Peter. There was something there and you wanted to take some extra time before to explore this new terrain of romance.

You paused when you reached the front of your apartment complex and noticed Peter was no longer by your side. You slowly turned and noticed him staring at his phone.

“Peter?”

He jumped and looked up at you, “sorry, I just found out about something,” he shoved his phone back into his pocket, “I um—“

“If you need to go, that’s fine,” you took a step forward, “I won’t pry, I don’t mind, I swear,” you were lying, you were curious and you wanted to know what was always beckoning for Peters attention.

You found yourself pulling him into a gentle embrace, squeezing. You hoped one day he could disclose something, anything, but you had to be strong. You had to resist the urge to question him.

You felt him hesitate but eventually wrap his arms around you, “I’m sorry.”

“Go,” you drew away before he could say anymore, “I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”

He stared down at you with that tight jaw of his and gave a slow nod. Whatever he was going through was rougher than he’d admit to anyone. You’d never seen him so tense for this long and you worried it was gonna drive him gray. You offered a smile to try to reassure him and he took a step back.

“I’ll see you!” He seemed to relax enough to utter the sentence in a happier manner before he turned around and sped down the street, bursting into a run once he rounded the corner and was no longer in your sight.

You shook your head and made your way inside, clutching the sleeves of his blazer while you waited for your elevator to take you up. He’d left it with you, you had to make a mental note to try to remember to return it tomorrow. For now, you were tired and wanted to retire for the night. You had things you needed to think about and settle and this fine evening would be perfect for that.

You withdrew your phone from your purse as you exited the elevator. You noticed a text on the screen from Sara.

Sara: I’m out getting some dessert with some of my girls, I’ll be back soon

The time stamp showed it was sent around fifteen minutes ago. This comforted you, at least you wouldn’t be bombarded by questions as soon as you came inside. You snuck into your apartment as quietly as you could just in case she was still or already home and you made a quick retreat into your bedroom and shut the door behind you. You dropped your purse and leaned over, unlooping the belts around your ankles and kicking your heels off.

Peter was something special to you, you knew that much, but you still felt there was a lot the both of you had to figure out individually before you could come together and make something work together. He was hiding something from you and you weren’t sure if it angered you or if it saddened you, however, you knew you were scared. You wished he could open up but you knew this was bigger than just you and him. If it had anything to do with the Stark internship from years preceding then you knew it was definitely more convoluted than you could ever imagine. 

You flopped into your bed and pulled the blazer off, holding it close and dropping your head against your pillows. You just wanted to turn your brain off, you didn’t want to think. You turned your head to glance out your window and looked at the dim street lights outside, wondering how you were going to go about things from here on out. You tipped your chin down and looked at the blazer in your hands, pulling it close to yourself and squeezing it.

You had plenty of time to think later, but for now, you needed to forget about all of your worries momentarily. You needed to sleep. You reached over and snatched the nearly empty bag of makeup wipes that had found shelter on your bedside table and ripped a wipeout, wiping your face clean of any product. You were too tired-- too lazy to get up and do anything else. You rolled over and dropped the wipe into the trash can you kept by your bed and fell back again, holding the blazer close. You sighed and closed your eyes, it was so warm.

You were sure you’d forget to return it tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaa!! we're almost at 1000 hits you guys i am SO excited. I FINALLY saw endgame last night and i cried my eyes out even though i knew what was going to happen. I had to come home and do some plotting after though, I had so many ideas lmao. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed some good quality light fluff and again, thank you so much for your interest and all of your sweet comments. I may or may not make a discord down the line depending on if this picks up more than it already has. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this and I truly cannot wait for you to read the upcoming chapters, we got some feelsy stuff comin up so prepare yourself!


	9. Sadderdaze

He had to hurry. He had to get to Oscorp as soon as he could. Peter had practically ripped his clothes off in an alley and he made haste to pull his suit on. As soon as he pressed the emblem in the center of his chest the lights on his HUD roared to life and he sprinted forward.

“Ned, are you still on his tracks?” He inquired as he leapt and shot a web, swinging and propelling himself high into the humid New York air.

“Delivery just got there,” he could hear Neds voice in his suit, “where are you?”

“Well I didn’t really expect a delivery tonight!” Peter hissed between grit teeth, his feet smacking against the wall of a skyscraper. He sprinted across and kicked off the building, returning to his web zipping.

“Did I interrupt your date?” 

“Not a good time for that Ned, I need updates!”

“Well it looks like you’re gonna miss the chance to intercept them before they get into Oscorp, hold on,” there was a moment of silence before Peter heard Ned compliment himself under his breath, “okay, it looks like all deliveries get taken straight to the lowest level of oscorp, I’m looking to see if there’s a way to sneak in. Give me a minute.”

Peter perched himself on the corner of a building parallel to the Oscorp laboratory. On the street below he noticed the large armored car. Thanks to Ned’s searching skills he found out a delivery of Tritium was getting dropped off at Oscorp tonight. This had to be done fast, if Otto got air of this... Peter didn’t even want to think about that.

“Ned, any leads?” He inquired.

“Yeah... it’s not good though,” Peter squinted, “There’s no way down there from the outside. You have to go through like everyone else.”

“I don’t think I can just walk in there in my suit—“

“You’ll have to go in there without it.” That was the last thing Peter wanted to hear, “I can try to get into the cameras in the elevators and disable them for long enough for you to suit up again but—“

Peter had already swung into an alley and was digging through his backpack for a long sleeve and his pants, “we’re gonna have to do that Ned,”

“I don’t know Peter, it’s kind of risky—“

“We don’t have a choice. I’ll text you when I’m at the elevator. I trust you Ned, you’re my man in the chair.”

“Peter—“

He ripped the mask off and pulled his pants on, shoving his mask in the back pocket before pulling a sweater over his head. He threw the backpack against the wall and webbed it there, pulling his sleeves down to cover his web shooters after he ripped his gloves off and stored them with his mask.

He peeked his head out of the alley and looked around. He rushed towards Oscorp and ran his fingers through his hair, fluffing it up a bit. He pulled his phone out of the other pocket of his jeans and swallowed hard when he approached the building.

“C’mon Pete... you’ve been through worse, just gotta swing in and swing out..”

He looked up and walked inside, cursing under his breath when he noticed a receptionist standing right by the front door. He had to think of something fast.

“May I help you?” The blonde raised a brow and she looked him down and up, what was he supposed to say, she knew he didn't belong here.

“I— I’m actually uh— i was here earlier,” he scratched the back of his neck before pointing at the elevator, “I left something here I just have to go grab it.”

She raised a brow and her ocean blue gaze was glued to his, “I haven’t heard anything about any lost items being found today, sorry—“

“Can I please look,” his fingers balled into fists beside him, he was stressed, “It was from my uncle before he passed away,” he said the lie between his teeth, “i’ll be in and out, I swear.”

The girl looked at him and sighed, “Five minutes. I’m calling security if it takes you any longer,” she mumbled and by the look of her soft features and empathetic gaze he figured it was just an empty threat.

Peters hands relaxed and he lowered his head, “thank you!” He let out an exasperated sigh before walking around the desk.

He looked at his phone and typed as quick as he could, informing Ned of his new location. He pressed the button to call the elevator and when the doors opened his heart sunk. Two men in suits stood in the elevator already and they weren’t getting out. They must have just come from the bottom floor. He shimmied into the elevator and stood behind them, looking up at the ceiling as the doors shut. Out of the corner of his eyes he noticed the red blinking light under the camera, it was still on. 

“Uh, third floor please,” Peter murmured to one of the men and watched them hit the button without pause.

He felt a sweat breaking already, he didn’t doubt Ned before but he was getting real nervous now. The elevator began to move and Peter stood as straight as he could. There wasn’t much time between now and the third floor and he had to get down to the basement level without being noticed. His gaze flicked over the camera again and he noticed the red light flicker before turning off completely. This was his window.

He reached between the men and pressed the button for the lower floor level. Their attention turned onto him and one of them reached for his arm. Peter yanked himself away and lifted his hands, “Sorry guys, just gotta head down really quick!”

He webs stuck to both of their necks and he yanked them together, a loud thud coming from their heads smashing together. The force was enough to knock them out. Peter watched them sink to the floor and rushed to rip his street clothes off. He didn’t know how long he had left but he was sure Ned wouldn’t be able to keep the system down for long. He pulled his mask on and slipped his hands through his gloves as his display flickered on.

He glanced up at the camera and shot a web at it, “Ned, you there buddy?” 

“Finally! I can’t keep this up their system is about to come back on, I think they know something is up by now.”

Peter leapt up to the ceiling and looked around, searching for the escape hatch, “Hey that’s fine, I’m gettin’ out of here now...where is the stupid-- ahah!” he crawled over to the small door and he swung his foot into it several times. The first few blows only put dents in the metal but the final stomp cracked the seal and he took this chance to make a quick escape. He slipped through the door.

He sprinted and leapt off the edge of the elevator, slamming ihs hands and feet into the wall and looking down. He was really glad he was only at the third floor right about now. He crawled down to the last floor as quick as he could, rushing over to where the doors were.

“Karen, I need you to run a scan to see if there’s anyone behind the door,” Peter instructed, looking up and noticing the elevator beginning to come down, “quickly, please!”

“Running.... I’m detecting two heat signatures behind the door.”

Peter dismounted from the wall and walked over to the doors, “I guess we have to do this the hard way everywhere today,” he grumbled, shooting a web against each of the heavy metal doors.

He took a deep breath and began to pull his arms away from each other, groaning quietly from the strength it took to slowly peel the sliding door open. Once it was open a few inches the automated system took over and the doors opened on their own, a ding ringing through the room.

Peter sprinted and leapt through, sliding on the ground, “Nope, no reporting this today,” he rolled onto his feet, “web grenade,” he shot two out at the guards that were obviously surprised.

Peters eyes widened when he saw one of them drawing his gun and he shot a quick web at his hand, the impact blowing the gun out of his fingers. The beeping of the grenades sped up before finally, they exploded and sent the guards toppling over, webbing gluing them to the floor.

“Spider-man!” yelled one of the guards as he thrashed about under the web, trying to free himself.

“I’m gonna need you to keep it down buddy,” he walked over and shot a web to cover his mouth, looking over at the other, “You’re kinda quiet, but uh,” he reached up, offering him the same treatment as the other, “can’t be too careful here!” 

He slowly turned around and took a good look of his surroundings. It looked like it used to be an office but was recently abandoned and turned into a storage room. Boxes littered the corners and stacks of files sat at the desk in the center of the room. Peter cautiously walked toward the table and found his fingers combing over the stack of manila folders.

“What is all of this,” he whispered, opening one up, “what the hell, it’s a profile.”

“A criminal record,” Karen corrected him, “I’ve linked the face to an online database, this is someone who escaped from Rikers island.”

“Why would Norman need any of these,” he combed through several files, “all of these are criminal profiles, is he trying to protect himself or--”

“Hey uhhh Pete,not to be that guy but now’s not exactly the best time to be a detective,” Neds voice rang through Peters suit.

He had a point, but Peter wasn’t sure when he’d be able to get another look at these files. By first glance it didn’t look like anything of importance was in them, perhaps Norman knew that the break out was formulated by someone who had ill intentions toward him in mind. He looked over at the chair and noticed the large silver briefcase that laid flat against the stained cushion.

“I think this is it,” he leaned over and flipped the tabs, opening it up to reveal three small vials squeezed comfortably into a black foam like cushion, “this is it!”

Peter quickly closed the case and yanked it out of the chair, “Uhh, Peter--”

Karen’s voice interrupted Ned, “Peter, I’m picking up a heat signature moving down the elevator shaft,” a new window opened up on Peter’s display.

Peters eyes widened when he saw the figure darting down the passage, “Karen, scan for emergency exits!” He demanded, looking at the three other doors in the room.

With the loud clanking of Otto’s metal appendages getting closer and closer Peter was beginning to panic until a single frame became highlighted on his display. He could hear Karen speaking but his adrenaline blurred her words together. He bolted toward the door and swung it open, using his webs to propel himself up the steps.

He busted through the door to the first floor and froze in his tracks when he saw crowds of employees rushing out the door. He felt the hair on his arms lift beneath the suit and felt his stomach twist, everything in his body told him to jump. He felt all the blood rush to his head as he shot a web up at the ceiling and tugged himself up, a bolt of electricity cracking against the door he had just come through. 

Peter flung himself against the wall and held on with one hand, the other gripping the briefcase close to himself, “Electro, long time no see buddy,” The suits eyes zoomed in, scanning over his new tech, “Otto must’ve made that for you, what does he have on you to get you to help him?” he sneered, eyes widening as he pushed off the ceiling when an electric blast came roaring at him.

The man lifted himself up, electricity shooting out from beneath him and acting as a pillar. A metal sleeve clung to his torso like a vest and short volts ran through it much like it was a circuit. His scowl seemed infinite.

“He don’t got nothin’ on me, bug boy,” his hands were glowing yellow, “now give me the case!”

Peter bounded off the wall, “sorry, I’m afraid I can’t do that, I’m gonna be the only one walking out with thi- agh!”  
He was cut off when he felt something jagged grip his arm after he reached up, “Got You!”

Peter looked over his shoulder and saw the long metal appendage that held a tight grip on his arm. It led up to none other than Otto Octavius, his previous mentor. He felt his body vibrate again, his spider-sense kicking into high gear. He shot a web at the other snake-like arm the threatened to grab his free arm and locked the teeth shut, earning him at least a few seconds. He turned and webbed the arm that held him, trying to pull it close so that he could wiggle his way out but before he could do that he felt a pain buzz through his body.

Electro fired another bolt at him and it tagged his web shooter. This sent a shock through Peters entire suit and he felt it rattle through his bones. The shock seemed to have radiated through Otto’s body too, the arm ripped away and recoiled, trembling and seizing before it fell limp. No longer held up, Peter collapsed to the ground and the case rattled and slid away from him. The lights on his display faded from sight and he lost all contact with Ned, all of the electronic systems in the suit shutting down.

“You Idiot!” Otto shouted as he lifted himself higher off the ground with the remaining arms, “Take the case, go!” He hissed at Electro, looking down at Peter and lowering himself to ground level, “Spider-man,” there was venom in his words, “I’m afraid you’re on the wrong side of things, I’ll give you this one chance,” one of the arms flipped Peter over, “Norman Osborn is an evil man, I’m only trying to do to him what he’s done to so many people in this city.”

Peter squinted and groaned quietly, “Y-You aren’t going into this with a clear head,” he hissed, “You’re gonna hurt innocent people!” he tried to sit up only to be slammed back down by the claws of one of his arms.

“They’ll all be thanking me,” he leaned in, “Spare a few to save many, I’m willing to be the one who makes the tough decisions, Spider-man.”

Peter noticed the lights on his display slowly appearing, his system starting to reboot, “I can’t--” he muttered out as he shook his head, “I can’t let you do that,” he reached up slowly but the claws of one of the arms snapped around his bicep and squeezed.

He let out a pained yell when he felt something penetrate his skin before ripping away. His breath was knocked out of him when he felt the claw that held him down smash him deeper into the floor, the tiles cracking beneath him, “I don’t want to kill you, boy, but if you get in my way again I won’t be afraid to smash you like the bug you are,” he threatened, pulling himself away, “Let’s go,” he called to his new teammate. 

Peter rolled onto his stomach and clutched his arm, raising his head just in time to see Otto tailing Electro out of the building. He could hear sirens coming in from multiple streets and he knew he had to get out of there. He had to muster the strength to get up. He slowly pulled himself to his feet and managed to take a few steps forward before stumbling, grabbing onto the door frame for support.

“Emergency reboot complete. Systems re-engaged,” Karen's voice rang through Peters' head, “There seem to be multiple contusions to your body as well as a large incision in your left bicep,” she fell silent for a moment, “I’ve also found unrepairable damage has been done to your left web shooter.”

Peter lowered his head and sighed, “yeah, yeah I can feel everything you’re tellin’ me right now Karen,” he grumbled, shooting a web with his good hand and yanking himself away from the scene. 

“Peter-- Peter are you there, can you hear me?!”

He dropped into the alley and fell to his knees, rolling onto his back and groaning at how loud Ned’s voice was, “what-- yeah, I’m here, I’m still alive I swear.”

“What the hell happened, did you get the case?”

Peter looked at his arm and noticed the blood soaking through his suit, “No...No Otto’s got the tritium,” he thumped his head against the concrete beneath him, “he did quite a number on me too...”

Ned’s tone faltered, “Are you gonna be okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll be alright,” he ripped the mask off and tossed it aside, “I’ll be alright,” he repeated to himself, thumping his hand against the emblem on his chest.

He sighed in relief when the suit unfurled around him and it didn’t take long for him to kick it off. He turned his head to take a closer look at the large open wound in his arm, he was thankful that it stopped bleeding at least, though he knew it would take a bit of time to heal, even with his regenerative abilities. 

There was a problem bigger than his wound though. The fact that Otto obtained the tritium left a bad taste in Peters' mouth. He had to be on high guard from here on out, he had to make sure Otto didn’t get any of the other resources he needed to build any type of bomb. He had to be more careful. He dressed slowly and ripped his backpack out of the webbed trap he left it in, throwing his suit into it and swinging the bag onto his back, beginning his short trek home.

He trudged along the sidewalk and pulled his phone out of his pocket to take a glance at the time. It was eleven at night now and he was absolutely beat, literally and metaphorically. He just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep for days at a time. Maybe he’d even skip class tomorrow, he knew someone from each one of his classes and he was sure none of them would mind catching him up to date. He really needed a vacation, but he knew that would have to wait until he dealt with Otto. He didn’t want to fight him, he never wanted things to come to this but he knew that there was nothing else he could do. He only wished he was around more, he wanted to go back and try to fix things. If he had paid more attention he surely would have noticed his mental downfall.

His brows furrowed as he approached his home, finding it easier to sneak up the side wall and slide through his window as he did most nights. He let his backpack drop to the floor and he kicked his shoes off, dropping back against his bed and groaning, looking at his arm. Right, he almost forgot about that. With a quick eye roll, he forced himself out of bed and peeked out of his room, looking around. The house was silent so it was safe to assume Aunt May had already retired for the night. He tiptoed down the hall and into the bathroom, shutting the door as quietly as he could and locking it. He needed to at least clean the wound so it wouldn’t become infected. He may have accelerated healing but even that didn’t protect him from grisly infections.

He leaned over and opened the cabinet beneath the sink, withdrawing a small and tattered brown rag. He stood up and opened the medicine cabinet, plucking the large bottle of alcohol out. He set the items next to the bathtub and peeled his shirt off, letting it drop to the floor. He took his phone out of his pocket and set it on the floor beside the tub before he climbed into the porcelain bath, sinking down into a seated position. He plucked the alcohol off the floor and unscrewed the cap, reaching over and grabbing the rag. He knew this was going to hurt. He doused the rag before taking in a deep breath and pouring it onto the wound. He grunted in pain and pressed the rag into his arm, dabbing around it.

The pain seared through his arm, it was much worse than when he initially was attacked. He decided then that there was no way he’d be going to class tomorrow, he didn’t want to have to answer any questions about his gash. He dipped his head back against the brim of the tub and forced out a long, shaky breath. If he had the energy to do so now he’d throw the rest of his clothes off and take a shower, but it was hard for him to even stay awake here in the tub. He hung the rag over the lip of the tub and examined the wound once more. All the blood was cleaned off of his arm and that was really all that mattered to him at this point.

He carefully stood and climbed out of the vessel, tossing the rag into the hamper in the far corner of the bathroom and returning the alcohol to its original spot. He scooped his phone up and quickly retreated back into his room. He kicked his jeans off soon after shutting the door and retreated to his bed yet again. He hastily yanked his blanket up to cover himself and looked at his phone, sighing. In the mess that had been the past few hours, he didn’t even get time to think about the time he had spent with Y/n earlier. He really did enjoy himself, but with tensions rising in the city he wasn’t sure if now was the best time for a relationship. The spike in criminal activity made him nervous, too. He didn’t want any of his enemies finding out about you getting their hold on you. 

He looked at his phone and sighed, typing out a text to Ned

Peter: I’m skipping class tomorrow, fight tonight wore me out

Peter rolled onto his side and went back to all of his messages, clicking on y/n’s chat and scrolling through it. Since you lost your car he’d been walking with you to and from school so he felt like he owed you a text in advance.

Peter: Hey, I’m not feeling too hot right now, don’t think I’m gonna make it to class tomorrow :(

Peter: You’re gonna have to go on without me

Peter: Good luck

He smiled at his own joke, shaking his head and pushing his phone under the pillow. He figured you were already asleep and he knew that Ned was awake, probably playing some games or watching star wars for the umpteenth time. Peter, however, needed to sleep while he still could. He closed his eyes and pulled the blanket over his head, taking a deep breath and focusing on the silence around him. His mind wasn’t clear, but for once it wasn’t being bombarded by intrusive thoughts and anxieties. He was going to make use of this and make it his time to finally fade off into a sweet slumber.

 

\------------------------

You rolled in your sheets when a loud alarm rang from your phone. You yanked it off of the charger and slid the screen to turn it off, groaning and slowly sitting up. Peters black blazer slid off of your body and you simply stared at it for a long moment, you almost forgot you still had that. A smile forced its way across your cheeks as you held it close to yourself, breathing in. It still smelled like him, or more rather his home, Pete had never been the fancy cologne type but you didn’t mind that.

You set it down and looked at your phone again, frowning when you noticed the texts from Peter. It was a shame, your first day back would be without him but you figured he had no control over whether or not he was sick. You sighed and put your phone down, climbing out of bed and sitting at your vanity to start doing your makeup to prepare yourself for the day. You were glad that you at least had Ned in your chemistry class too, he’d likely be able to help you if you fell behind in today's discussion.

Your makeup was always quick, you never did a lot, just enough to conceal the bags under your eyes from your lack of good sleep. You glanced at your phone when you noticed it light up with a notification. Slowly, you leaned over to take a peek at the message it displayed. You almost jumped out of your seat when you saw that it was an email from the professor of your morning photography class. It had been canceled! That class took up a good chunk of your morning, too, so now you just had some free hours laying around. You flicked through your phone and looked at the messages from Peter again, smiling. 

You stood up and walked to your closet, sifting through clothes and picking out a quick outfit. You decided then that you would check up on him, maybe even bring him some snacks you had stashed in your room. You quickly changed out of the dress from the night before and into a button up blouse with a pair of jeans. You were sure he’d be appreciative, he’d done this for you once or twice before so you simply saw it fair to return the favor.

You crouched over and peeked under your bed, pulling a plastic bag filled with candy and chips. You always kept this for a rainy day, after all, you never knew when you’d need to spend all day in bed vegging out on some junk food. You plucked a bag of Doritos out of the bag and slipped it into your purse before swinging it over your shoulder. You snatched your phone off of your vanity and rushed out of your apartment to make your way to Peter's house.

You were always so thankful that he only lived around the block, it came in handy especially now that you were without a car. You’d have to figure out what you were going to do about that soon, though. It took you about ten minutes to arrive at his door and you knocked quietly, smiling when you noticed his Aunts surprised face answer the door.

“Oh, Y/n, good morning’ hun,” she pushed took a step away from the door to allow you in, “what brings you over?”

You tiptoed inside, “Well, Pete texted me that he wasn’t feeling well last night and my first class got canceled so,” you held a finger up to your lips in a shushing motion, “I brought some of his favorite chips so I wanted to surprise him.”

May pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and a warm smile pulled at the corners of her lips, “Well, I think he’s still asleep and I was about to head to work but,” she turned and looked at you, “you’re more than welcome to stay for as long as you’d like, there are some leftovers in the fridge from last nights dinner and plenty of drinks too,” she walked over and pulled you into a hug, “but I’m running late so I really have to go, I hope I can see you another time, maybe you can come over for dinner this week?”

You squeezed her into your arms, “I’ll let you know what my schedule looks like,” you hummed before pulling away, “have a good day, Aunt May!”

She blew a kiss as she walked out the front door and shut it behind her, the lock clicking into place. You set your bag down and walked over to the kitchen, reaching into one of the cabinets to retrieve a glass. You were parched after the walk over here and you figured while you waited for Peter to wake up you could at least get some water, maybe even warm up some leftovers and enjoy a nice breakfast. You opened the fridge and held the glass under the large jug of water that May always stored on the second shelf, flipping the lever to allow the water to spill out. You flicked it shut once the glass was near full and shut the fridge, pausing when you saw movement out of the corner of your eye.

You looked over and stopped when you saw Peter standing there. He had frozen up mid-step and was staring at you wide-eyed like he just got caught doing something bad. His hair was messy--messier than usual, though you just assumed this was from a long night of rest. You took a sip of your water and looked away after you realized he only had a pair of joggers clinging to his waist, setting the glass down on the counter when you heard him speak.

“Y-Y/n?, wh-wh-what uh- what’re you doing here,” His voice cracked and he turned to his side, not wanting to face you for some reason, “you have class in a few minutes, don’t you?”

You pushed yourself away from the counter and tilted your head, “my class got canceled so I thought it would be nice to come to surprise you with a snack since you weren’t feeling well,” your brows knit forward when you thought you noticed something.

He turned completely away from you and walked over to the T.V. in the living room, grabbing the remote and flicking it on, “w-well uh...it’s just a little unexpected and uh... I appreciate it--”

“Peter, we always surprise each other, not just you and me but MJ and Ned do this stuff to us all the time,” you narrowed your eyes and took a few steps closer, “what was that, by the way?”

“What was what?” He sounded panicked and he looked over his shoulder at you, his eyes wide.

You tried to walk around him but he twirled the other way, “I thought I saw something, did you like get a tattoo or something?”

He moved away from you every time you tried to take a look, “wh-no-- there’s nothing there I swear!”

“Peter, let me see,” this was getting annoying quick.

“Seriously, it’s nothing--”

“Peter!” you snapped a hand up and grabbed his shoulder, twisting him around to face you.

You weren’t sure what you were expecting to see but what you saw certainly wasn’t it. He took a step back and followed your gaze down to his arm before quickly looking back up at you again. You snapped your head up after a long moment to stare at him and you hadn’t quite realized that your jaw had dropped when you came across the revelation that he had a massive wound in his arm. 

He frowned, “it’s a long story,” he sounded defeated, he had no excuse for this and no time to think of one on the fly-- not like he was good at that anyway.

“Are you stupid,” he blinked, “do you see how big that is, you need to go to the doctor--”

“No!” you jumped when he interrupted you in a panic, “N-no doctors-- I can’t... It’s just too many questions and I...” he looked the other way, he didn’t want to look you in the eye anymore, he was ashamed.

Your lips pursed as you reached up and took his arm, gently moving it away from his body so you could take a better look, “It doesn’t look good though,” you murmured, noticing the contusions around the dark red wound, “I can’t believe you just let it fester overnight.”

“Y/n--”

“Sit down,” you demanded, shooting a glare up at him.

It startled him, your whole demeanor flipped and he’d never seen you look as pissed as you did now. His adams apple bobbed and he made his way to the couch, sitting down and watching you walk down the hall, grumbling to yourself. He watched you return minutes later with several things in your arms. You crouched down next to the coffee table and sat down a few rags, one of which seemed soaked in water, the other two dry. Among the other things you brought out were peroxide, gauze, and medical tape. You picked up the wet rag and took a seat next to Peter, carefully moving his arm.

“What are you doin--”

“I’m cleaning this up for you since you clearly don’t know how,” you interrupted, a sour tone gripping to each word that escaped from you, “sit still.”

You carefully dabbed at the wound. It looked like he had tried to clean it but there was still dry blood crusted to areas of his arm. You drew away and inspected his arm, nodding to assure yourself that it was rinsed well enough. You set the dirtied rag down and reached to grab one of the dry ones.

Peter watched you closely, his frown never leaving his demeanor. He felt awful. He didn’t want you to have to see the injury he’d sustained from the night prior but here you were. He watched as you doused the once dry rag in peroxide and heard you mumble something before dabbing it against his arm. He tensed at the sudden stinging, but this was nowhere near as bad as the pain he felt when he earned the wound. He looked away and tried to battle the anxieties that were rising up his spine. He didn’t know what he was going to tell you, there wasn’t a single thing he could come up with that would explain where he got this from.

“You’re really starting to scare me,” he lifted his head when he heard you speak, “I get that you don’t want to talk about things, I really do but,” you peeked up at him, “seeing this scares me, I don’t like seeing you hurt like this, does Aunt May even know about this?”

He looked away as soon as you brought her up. You lowered your head and slowly nodded in understanding. You tossed the second rag on the table and reached for the bandages. You just didn’t understand, what was so important that he’d be lying to everybody like this? To say that you were ticked off was an understatement at this point. It was exhausting to have to fear like this, to always have to wonder what he was sneaking off and doing. You knew you told him that you didn’t mind, but this changed everything. How often was he hiding things like this? You recalled upon several situations in which Peter flinched upon touch or avoided being touched altogether. There were times where he was distant, times where he would grip his side as if he were in pain, times where he had knicks and bruises along his arms. 

You clenched your teeth and began wrapping his arm, pulling as tight as you could when you came to the end of the round. You reached for the medical tape and ripped a piece off, placing it down on the wrapping so it would stay. You sighed and leaned away, standing up and setting the tape on the table. Peter took a look at his arm before looking up at you with that stupid little face of his. That sad kicked puppy look that always pulled at your heartstrings-- you couldn’t let it get to you this time. You wouldn’t let it.

Peter watched as you collected the items and took them back into the bathroom. The silence was killing him, he could feel your anger pulsing through the air. He felt like he was drowning now. He stood up and began toward the hall, freezing when he saw you come out of the bathroom again. Usually, you walked with such patience, you were quiet and didn’t like to make yourself big. You kept to yourself and you never let yourself be known. This was different. Your fingers had curled into tight balls and your strides were long. Each footfall was louder than before and he could hear your heart pounding, his hair stood tall on his arms. He could feel your anger radiating, feel the power under each step. You were fuming. 

“Y/n, wait,” he reached up to grab your hand but you yanked your arm away and turned to face him.

His heart sank when you began to speak, “no, Peter, you know what, I’m gonna say it,” you turned to face him completely, “I think I have been really patient with you. I have turned my cheek to the lies before and I really, really tried to keep my nose out of things but I just can’t do it anymore,” you turned away, feeling emotions flooding your entire being, “I’m tired of not knowing what’s going on whenever you run off, especially now that I’ve come to the understanding that it’s something that’s actually endangering you,” you threw your hand up and motioned to his arm, “there has been so much going on and I really just can’t deal with this right now, I never know when you’re telling me the truth anymore, Peter,” tears pricked at your eyes and you couldn’t tell if you were angry or sad, “I don’t know what you need to do, but keep me out of it, I can’t keep putting myself through the emotional strain anymore,” your voice trembled and the tears streamed down your cheeks, “I just can’t...” your voice faltered off and you stared up at him, waiting for something, for anything that would show an ounce of honesty.

His mouth opened as if he were going to say something, though after a long moment of silence his lips came back together and he looked away, his eyes glistening. This pain was worse than any physical pain any one of his enemies had done to him. He withdrew into himself and took a step back, turning away.

You felt your heart sink. So that was it, he wasn’t even going to try. Whatever it was he was sneaking around doing was apparently more important than your feelings, more important than your friendship. You sniffled and slowly nodded, walking over to the couch and grabbing your bag, ripping the bag of chips out of it and tossing it on the couch. Without another word you found your way to the door, looking back once more. Something kept pulling you back, you weren’t sure what you wanted but you knew you wanted him to say something-- to do anything. He didn’t even look up at you. It was all too much for you, you opened the door and walked out, shutting it quietly behind you and speed walking toward your normal route to school.

You were torn. Every time you thought you were getting closer to him there was always something that would push you away. You knew it just wasn’t right for you to catch feelings for him, or at least you should have. You should have put up another wall, you should have kept him at an arm's distance so that you wouldn’t have gotten your hopes up, but it was too late. You were fooled by his dorkish smile. You were pulled in by his stupid pop culture jokes and wowed by his effortless intelligence. You admired and appreciated his loyalty, his honesty-- but now you knew it was all a sham. 

You wiped your eyes and sucked in a deep breath. You needed to pull yourself together, even if it was just for a few hours. You just needed to get through class and get home. You looked up from the ground and gripped onto the strap of your purse, your steps unknowingly becoming heavier. You just had to get through with the day, you’d figure out your emotions later. You just didn’t want to think about him. 

You just needed some time alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shoutout to my dear sweet jem for giving me a few ideas, including the hurt/bandaged idea I used in this chapter. I love some fluff but uh...i also love a little bit of angst and it looks like we got a bit of that coming up so prepare yourselves! Anyways, again thank you so much for all of the positive feedback it really means so much to me I can't get over it! we're almost at 1000 hits and that's super exciting to me. I hope you guys enjoy this and as always let me know what you think, I can't wait for you to see what's ahead! things are going to be picking up in the next like 2 or 3 chapters there's gonna be a lot of action and a nice side of angst so....prepare urself lmao


	10. Try Again

Emotions had a funny way of changing things. For a while, days were flying by and each one seemed to get better and better. Even when it was bad, even when you felt lost and unsure after the events of last week you swore it would be okay. You thought everything would be alright. Though, after your second fallout with Peter things just weren’t as simple anymore. Minutes faded into hours and hours faded into days, but you weren’t counting anymore. You were too tired. You went to class. You went to work. You went home. It was all such a bore and without any of your pleasant distractions, you felt tired. You withdrew from everything slowly and found yourself sleeping more often. You barely talked to anyone, even Sara. The only excuse you could come up with was that finals were coming up and you had to study.

But in all honesty, you were too tired to study. You could only focus for short increments of time before you got distracted. Your phone offered you an endless world of diversions between the boring mobile games and the arsenal of texts you were receiving from everyone every day. You only wished their support made you feel better, but something was still tugging at your heart. You felt absolutely demolished after your falling out with Peter. His secretive nature finally punctured a hole in the last wall you had up— your only line of defense. Emotions you had never felt before had burst through that hole like a geyser. It was flooding your being and you were suffocating. You were drowning.

Your eyes carried over to your phone when the screen lit up. Your tendrils slowly traced over the screen before you dragged it closer to you, lifting it up to take a peek at what it was notifying you of now. Oh. It was just a news notification. You let your phone drop against your comforter and rolled back over, glancing out your window. Red and blue lights flickered in the distance and the sounds of sirens eventually came racing by. Just another day in the city, right? Why did this feel so different then? Why was your heart pounding out your chest?

Why were you crying?

You rolled away from the window and sniffled, tugging the blankets over your head. You couldn’t explain the innate fear this triggered within you, there was just so much rushing through your head at this point that you weren’t sure why you were panicking. You wiped your eyes on the comforter before throwing it off of yourself and sitting up, looking at yourself in the mirror. Your eyes were swollen and your cheeks were flushed. You looked tired, you’d looked this way for a couple of days now. Your mouth was slightly agape to allow you to breathe as breathing through your stuffy nose did little to nothing for you. You needed a distraction, you needed something to ground you and this lonely room was doing nothing for you. 

You stood up and looked down at yourself, deciding that your leggings and hoodie would be good enough for a short walk around the neighborhood. You grabbed your phone and walked into the corner of your room, sliding on a pair of flats before you took a glance at the time. It was nearly 1:00 a.m. at this point but that was fine to you, it was only going to be a short walk anyway. You grabbed your house key and shoved it in your pocket, sneaking out of the front door. 

When you made it to the first floor you trudged out the front door, thoughts racing through your head. You didn’t want to think about him but you simply couldn’t get him out of your mind. Peter was like a plague to your brain and it infected every part of it, haunting you and leaving you in wonder. He had texted you once or twice since you had helped him clean his wound but you didn’t reply to either of his messages. You couldn’t bring yourself to talk to him, you needed some time to yourself. You needed to think about things. 

Who knew what was going on with him, he could very well be out there selling on the streets! No... no Peter wasn’t the drug type at all, that couldn’t have been what he was up to. But you couldn’t explain why he would have had a wound like that. You just wanted to know the truth. Why couldn’t he just tell you? Was it just selfish of you to expect him to do that much for you?

You had a headache now. You had a stream dripping off of your chin and you didn’t realize it until now. You wiped your face off with your sleeves, stopping and leaning against the side of a closed restaurant. You slowly slumped down, sitting on the ground and pulling your knees up to your chest. You were more of a mess than you wanted to admit. You wanted somebody, you needed somebody. The person that you wanted to be held by was god knows where right about now. You whimpered to yourself and ran your fingers through your hair, thankful that you had taken refuge in a small corner between a diner and an empty building. No one could hear you and it wasn’t like anyone was out there anyway, or at least that's what you thought. 

You shot your head up when you thought you heard something rustling in the alley. Your quiet sobs ceased and you quickly rose to your feet. You squinted and tried to see through the curtain of darkness before you. You didn’t see anything, but you swore you heard another sound. Footsteps. You gasped and turned, quickly running out of the alley and sprinting across the street, looking back as you ran. You didn’t see anyone following you, but that didn’t stop the fear from lurching in your throat. You felt like one heave was going to send your intestines gushing out of you. Nausea gripped your very being and you felt like your lungs were pinching in.

That is, until you noticed a small animal dart passed you. You craned your neck to watch it run by, your brows furrowing before you finally relaxed. What were you even doing? You followed your impulsivity into the night and for what? To get scared by a small animal? You shook your head and turned around, walking back to your apartment. A brisk breeze blew passed your cheeks and you looked up at the sky, noticing the heavy looking clouds that were beginning to roll in. There was a storm coming, you were sure of it. 

You took a glance around, noticing the quiet streets. Things had been different the past few days, larger scale crime had been on the rise. Many of your coworkers at the bugle were busy writing articles for everything that had gone down in such a short period of time. You recall Jonah spewing on and on about how he was sure this was all linked to Spider-man and demanding an article be published about it. Of course, Jonah always gets his way so this morning a rather demeaning story had been published about the friendly neighborhood hero. You swore you were one of the only people at the Bugle that tried to defend Spider-man’s name, you knew he wasn’t a menace. He’d saved you multiple times now and whoever it was behind the mask was trying to help the city.

There was no way you’d be able to get a story out now, not with all of these awful anti-spidey stories getting published. You had lost all hope of a promotion after the incident at the hookah bar, it all slipped through your fingers then. You were trying to keep high hopes but it was just so hard to be optimistic when everything felt like it was crumbling apart around you. You lost your car, you almost lost your life, you watched someone have their life ripped from them, and now you were quite possibly losing someone you cherished most. 

Bing!

A loud clang made you jump and you twirled around to look at the source. You noticed a street lamp across the street rattling and you narrowed your eyes. It was windy but it wasn’t windy enough to make it shake like it was. You took a few steps forward before pausing when you heard a familiar thwip overhead. You snapped your head back and noticed the figure swinging by above you, but something was off. The hero swung at an angle and slapped against the wall of a building close to you and began to run, but you could see his legs trembling. 

He pushed off the wall with much less power than you’d expected and watched him shoot another web, trying to yank himself higher into the sky with no avail. You found your legs carrying you after him, watching him curve and sway with each movement. Something told you that he wasn’t just drunk on the job. 

“Spider-man!” You called for him and watched him slowly turn his head over his shoulder, “look out-!” you yipped as he slammed into a street pole, this one ringing much louder than the last.

You watched him fall and land with a loud thud, rolling over and groaning. You rushed over to the masked man's side and crouched down, noticing almost immediately a large rip in his suit over his chest. You noticed something oozing out of it and it wasn’t just blood. Whatever it was was green in color and it almost glowed under the moonlight. You felt him twitching under you and could hear him seething in pain when your fingers trailed over the wound.

“S-Scorpion,” the mechanical eyes on his suit zoomed in when he saw your face, “He injected me-- I can’t--” he groaned in pain, “no--No!” he shouted, rolling away from you, “the antidote-- “ he peeled his backpack off and pushed it away, “I need-- I need the-- “ he was cut off by a pained cry as he thumped his head on the ground, “Stop- No!”

You pulled yourself away when you heard his scream. You just didn’t understand what was happening before your eyes. You scrambled to stand, grabbing the backpack and swinging it onto your shoulders before looking at the hero on the ground. You crouched down and tried to aid him up to his feet, though he was too heavy.

“I-I need you to stay with me,” you instructed, watching him bob his head from side to side, “c’mon,” you heaved and pulled him up, wrapping his arm over your shoulder and pulling yours around his waist, “Spidey, can you hear me?” 

A pained groan came from him, it almost sounded like he was crying. You had to hurry, whatever this was it wasn’t good. He was completely in a daze and it obviously wasn’t getting better. Your apartment was still around the block and it wasn’t going to be easy just walking him through your complex and getting him all the way up to your apartment. You turned your head and peered into an alley. It was the quickest place to go and try to treat him now. You quickly dragged him into the dimly lit corner and pressed him against the brick wall, watching him slide down before slumping over.

An antidote. He said he had an antidote in his backpack. You let the bag drop to the ground and you fumbled around until you found the zipper, practically ripping it open. At the top of the bag, there was two ingredients as well as a syringe. Great. You had to mix the antidote! You stared at them for a while before lowering your head, you didn’t know how to do this!

“H-hey— spidey!” You nudged him, “I-I don’t know how to make this, are you still with me?” You nudged him again, “s-spider-man?”

He was silent. You leaned over and pressed your head against his chest. You could hear the gentle beating of his heart, but it was faint. You needed to do something and quick. You pulled your phone from your pocket and quickly did some searching. All of the results were open-ended, you needed to know what he was poisoned with to be able to do anything at this point! You were sure it wasn’t as simple as mixing equal parts and injecting it, what were you supposed to do?

“I-I didn’t— I didn’t want to hurt you...” he mumbled, twitching again.

“H-huh?”

He was rambling, he must have been having a fever dream. You bit your lip and looked at the two ingredients again, squeezing your eyes shut. You had to do something for him, you couldn’t just let him die. God, this was going to either be really good or really bad. 

For minutes you were trying to look at different mixtures for different antidotes to poisons. All of them were unique in their own ways and you were beginning to panic. You didn’t know how much time he had left, you just had to go with your gut on this one. You stared at the ingredients before closing your eyes, trying to will yourself to mix them. Before long you had finally gathered the courage to complete the mixture and you leaned over, flicking the needle of the syringe. That is what you’re supposed to do, right? You’d seen it in a plethora of shows at this point so you figured that had to be at least a little reliable. Now, you just had to trust yourself and just give him the injection. You looked down at the hero and leaned over, pressing your hand just above the spider symbol on his chest. The fabric was slick and you could feel how warm he was through it. You examined the wound briefly before closing your eyes.

“Please work... god please work...” 

You pushed the needle into his exposed flesh where the fabric had been torn by Scorpions strike. You pressed down on the plunger and slowly pulled the needle out, setting it down next to you. You watched his body tense up before relaxing. His pained groans and incoherent mumbling ceased and the silence was almost unbearable. Was he okay? Did it work? You leaned over and pressed your fingers against his throat. He had a pulse, that was good, right? All signs were pointing to a speedy recovery thanks to the injection. Your fingers remained on his throat for a while, recording his heartbeat. It was strong and steady, this comforted you. You were gaining confidence and starting to believe that he really was okay.

You stared down at him, taking in the little details in his suit. The eyes that were normally so reactive to his emotions were wide open, unresponsive to the world around it. You noticed the scuffs around his suit which you could only assume were from his encounter earlier. Your gaze slowly fell to the neckline of his mask and your curiosity was lurking over you. This was your chance to find out who the person was that had saved your life multiple times now. The person who went out of his way to protect the people of this corrupt city. Your fingers curled around the brim and you slowly began to pull it up. You were careful not to move too quickly, moving it just past his lips before you froze. Hesitation had you locked in its firm grip now. Was this really right? Was it your place to force him to reveal his identity to you? 

You couldn’t tear your gaze off of what little skin of his you had exposed. His skin looked clear, free of any scars or wound which had surprised you. Surely a hero fighting the crimes that he had should have scars, right? His jaw was tight and well sculpted and finally, you found your gaze locked upon the gentle curves of his lips. Your mind began to wonder, were they as soft as they looked? Would a kiss from him trap you in his web and get your head out of the romantic dream you were trying to have with Peter?

Peter.

You were torn away from every thought you had and thrown back to the falling out with the one who set a fire in your chest. You couldn’t believe you were even thinking about the lips of another man so soon. Perhaps it was the striking similarities between the arachnids and your dear friend’s lips. You wished you could feel them, you wanted his company again. You were lonely.

Something moved out of the corner of your eye and you turned your head, noticing the once still eyes beginning to zoom in and out as if they were trying to focus. You tugged your hands away from his mask the moment he seemed to realize what was happening and he pushed himself to his feet and quickly jumped away, shocked by her actions. 

“Wh-what are you doing,” he pulled his mask down and leaned against his arm, seething when he felt a pain shoot from where the wound was.

You crawled backward and thumped your back against the wall opposite of him, “I’m sorry,” you fell silent.

He looked down and noticed the syringe, examining it before he looked up at you, “you— you made the antidote,” he sounded surprised and you weren’t sure if you should have been insulted by it, “how did you get the measurements— you know what, nevermind I’m a little nervous to hear that,” he glanced up at you, “I don’t know what would have happened if you weren’t here...”

There was something in his voice, it sounded bittersweet, “I owe you like three so uh... this is one down I suppose,” you offered a weak smile.

God, he wanted to hug you. He wanted to hold you close and be able to talk to you as himself again. He only wished he had the confidence that his persona had, he felt guilty for not reaching out to you but his fears were eating at him. He messed up and he knew that. He had to do something to talk to you again.

“Did you need—“

“A swing back?” You cut him off and shook your head, “you don’t need to overwork yourself, you have to recover after...” you glanced at the tear in his suit before looking back at his mechanical eyes, “besides, I was on a walk to clear my head, but now I’m kind of worried about you,” she mumbled, “what even happened?”

He held a hand up to his wound and examined it, “I was trying to find Scorpion, there were eye witness reports of him sneaking through the city and I needed to get to him before he got whatever he was looking for,” he grunted, pulling his hand away, “he found me before I could find him, though, snuck up on me and got me.”

You leaned forward, “I thought you were gonna die,” your voice shook.

He tensed and looked down, the pain in your voice hurt him more than any of the times he’d been attacked this week alone, “Yeah... Yeah I wasn’t sure if I was gonna make it for a minute there either.”

You lowered your head, frowning, “I wish I were strong like you.”

He tilted his head, “what?”

You pulled your knees up to your chest, “You’re a literal superhero. You can protect everyone around you and you always know just what to do, but I almost couldn’t save you when you needed it,” you tucked your head away into your knees, “I can’t protect someone close to me, either, I just mess everything up,” you peeked up at him and choked back tears, “I just wish I knew how to go about things like you do.”

He was shocked. He didn’t know what to say. He knew that you were talking about him, about the real him. He pushed himself to crawl closer to you, sitting in a crouched position by your side and tilting his head, the eyes on his suit opening up.

“Can I be honest with you?” You glanced up at him, “I never know how my days are going to turn out. I’m always scared that I’m not doing the right thing, I’m scared that things will always turn out the way they did back at the hookah lounge,” he never broke eye contact, “We’re all strong in our own ways. You care a lot about your friends,” he noticed your brows knit forward in a curious manner, “I-I’ve seen it, you’re always talking about your one friend, that uh.. the kid from the Stark internship.”

“Peter,” she sounded breathless.

“P-Peter, yeah,” he swallowed, “listen, there’s someone I want to protect too, but no matter what I do they only get hurt,” he stared at you, hesitating, “we’re all scared of what the future has for us, but we can’t let that stop us,” he placed a hand on your shoulder, “you’re strong, you don’t see it but I do,” he nodded, “You might not have abilities like me but your bravery is enough.”

You felt guilty. You wanted to talk to Peter, you should have been stronger for him, you made a promise to him that you wouldn’t pry into what he kept hidden from you. Yet, here you were, broken again after trying to force information out of him. 

“What if I make the wrong decision?” You felt the water splash against your cheek and looked around, noticing it was sprinkling.

“You’ll never know what’s right or wrong until you make the decision.” 

You snapped your head to look back up at him, silent. One thing ran through your mind and one thing only. Slowly, you got to your feet and watched the masked man mimic your movement. You looked down at the ground for a few seconds before looking up at him again.

“I have something I need to do a-are you uh...”

He shook his head, “I’ll be fine, just go,” you took a few steps away, mouthing ‘thank you’ to him before you turned and began to walk away.

You watched his figure swinging off above you and you sped walked forward. You weren’t even sure if Peter was awake at this time, you knew he would spend nights awake late texting you or doing homework but you weren’t sure if this was going to be one of those nights.

The rain picked up and hard droplets were starting to shower upon you. You didn’t care, you had to get to Peter’s house. You kept moving forward until a buzzing from your pocket distracted you. You withdrew your phone and felt your stomach flip as soon as you saw the notification.

Peter: I need to talk to you.

Peter: I’m so sorry.

You were frozen, reading the two short sentences over and over in your head. You didn’t even think, all your fears and all of your daydreams were pushed to the back of your head as you threw yourself forward. You had to get to him, you had to talk to him and hold him. You pushed your tears back as you ran forward. Why couldn’t your legs carry you faster? You needed to be there now, every fiber of your being was calling for it.

You almost slid to a stop when you saw someone after you rounded the corner. Peter’s house was only down the block, but this figure caught you off guard. Who would be out at this time of night? You squinted and watched as he took a few steps forward. The rain that was streaming down your face blurred your vision but at that moment you recognized him. Your breath caught and your heart fluttered. Peter! 

Your legs carried you, your mind was foggy but your body sprinted forward. You watched him take a few more steps forward before you practically jumped into his arms. You held him tight and buried your face into his chest. He was dripping wet just as you were and yet he was so warm. A cocktail of emotions was stirring within you and you could barely form a coherent thought when you felt him squeeze you tight.

You looked up at him, “I’m sorry!” Your voice was trembling, “Peter, I just get so worried about you and I let that get to me,” your words were spilling out of your mouth faster than you thought, “I want to make this work, I want to be open to you— I’m not sure about a lot but I— I—!”

You felt his hand cup his cheek and you couldn’t tell if it was tears or raindrops falling off of his cheeks, “You’re rambling,” his voice was soft, “I-I’m sorry I keep having to keep this from you, it’s just..”

His words were melding together, your focus had shifted. There was something you wanted to do for a while now. Your gaze slid over his lips as he spoke, you couldn’t tear yourself away from the thought of being absolutely enveloped by his kiss. Your lips pursed, hypnotized by the thought. You slowly reached up and cupped his cheeks with both your hands. This seemed to surprise him as he went silent, meeting your gaze.

You stood on your toes and leaned close, “P-Peter,” you pressed your forehead against his and felt his warm breath against your lips.

You locked eyes with him and watched his jaw tense before his whole body relaxed. You stared into his deep, chocolatey orbs and you swore you could see admiration dripping from them. You felt his hand at the small of your back pull you closer. You flicked your gaze down at his lips once more before glancing back at him, trying to signal how bad you wanted this.

He tilted his chin before leaning in and your lashes fluttered shut. You felt his lips press against yours and you felt your heart swell. You moved your arms to wrap around his neck, you wanted to be closer. You couldn’t get enough. His lips were just as soft as you expected and the warmth was intoxicating. You could get drunk off of his kisses. Your lips danced against his and it felt like this was meant to be. You wanted all of him. You wanted to continue to hold him and cherish him. 

Your brows knit forward when you felt his lips part against yours and you tilted your head, pressing yourself deeper into him. Your fingers gripped at the back of his shirt. Every bit of him was melting into you and you didn’t mind it. This was everything you wanted and more. Slowly, you drew your lips away and sucked in a breath, staring up at him and never letting go.

“S-sleep over,” he blurted out.

You were shocked. He always spent nights at your apartment but you never spent a night over with him, “r-really?” 

“It’s uh... it’s late and it’s pouring out here.”

“What about Aunt May?”

“She won't know,” it sounded dangerous, but you liked that.

You looked down, your bodies were still pressed close to each other. You didn’t want to peel yourself away, but now you were going to get a whole night with him with no interruptions. No roommates, no fighting, just you and Peter. Slowly, he pulled himself away and grabbed your hand, leading you down the sidewalk to his home.

He slowly opened the door and peeked inside, looking back at you, “she’s asleep, she’s a light sleeper though,” he whispered, “come on,” he guided you inside, shutting the door as quietly as he could behind you.

You looked at your entangled fingers and felt a smile sneaking across your lips. You followed him to his bedroom and took a few steps in, glancing around. You’d seen his room dozens of times before though for some reason it felt new. You felt like a teenager sneaking into her boyfriend's house past curfew.

You glanced up at him and watched him peek into his closet, pulling out a T-shirt, “here, you should get out of your wet clothes,” he handed you the shirt, “I have a pair of shorts in here somewhere...”

You took the shirt and looked at it, smiling before glancing up at him, taking the pair of shorts when he offered it. The extended eye contact got awkward rather fast, “uh, Peter..?” You used your finger to motion him to turn around, “I have to change.”

“O-oh right.” He quickly turned his back to you and faced the closet again, sifting through it for something dry for himself.

You were quick to peel your soaked clothes off, pulling his shirt over your head and slipping the shorts up to your waist. They were a bit big for you, you were glad the shorts had at least a drawstring so you could tighten it to prevent any... wardrobe malfunctions. You expertly peeled your bra off from under your shirt and set it on the floor with the rest of your clothes, stretching your arms over your head before noticing Peters shirtless back.

You bit your lip, appreciating each curve of his muscles. He was bulkier than he was before, the gym really did a number on him. He was still slim, but his arms were definitely bigger than they were a few years ago. You had to tear your gaze away before he turned around after covering himself up. 

“Aunt May leaves for work early tomorrow so we shouldn’t have a problem,” he sat on the edge of his bed.

You took a few steps over before sitting next to him, looking down at your hands, “okay...” you fiddled with your fingers.

You both looked up at each other and began to speak before going silent. Words kept coming out in time with each other and you shook your head, “you go first,” you finally instructed.

“N-no what were you going to say?”

You swallowed, “What are we?”

The question sent a chill down Peters' spine. He wasn’t even sure. That kiss meant the world to him and he wanted to share even more moments with you like that, but did you feel the same way? He looked away and scratched the back of his neck, silent.

You could notice the blush spreading across his cheeks. You leaned over and rest your head against his shoulder, “it’s okay to take it slow,” you murmured, “but I think we should try this, I think we should give us a chance.”

He turned his head to look at you, “R-really?” 

You couldn’t contain the quiet giggle when you heard his shock, “yes, really. Peter, I have feelings for you,” you looked at him and turned your body to face him, “I wouldn’t have kissed you if I didn’t. I want to be with you.”

He turned and found his fingers tracing along your cheeks again, looking down at the shocked face you made, “I-I just never expected to hear that..!” 

You smiled, “I can say it again if you want,” you offered playfully.

He couldn’t contain his own goofy smile before he flopped back into bed, “No need to,” he mumbled, looking at him, “I believe you.” 

You laid down next to him, “Peter, can you promise me one thing, though,” he looked at you, “will you tell me one day what you’ve been doing?”

He paused, what was he supposed to say? He supposed he had to tell you someday. He couldn’t keep hiding it from you, and he certainly didn’t want you to find out the hard way.

“I promise,” he murmured, laying his head back against his pillow.

That was good enough for you. You leaned over and draped your arm over his chest, spooning him. Peter looked down at you and drew the blanket up to cover both of you and you felt his lips press against your forehead. You wished you could stay in this moment forever. Things felt good this way. You closed your eyes and rest your head against his chest, drifting off into the most comfortable sleep you’ve had in days.

———————————

For the first time in a while, you didn’t wake with a startle. You peeked your eyes open and lowered your face into Peter’s chest from the sunlight brimming through his shades. You could feel his fingers playing through your hair, it was comforting to you. You gathered the strength to glance up at him despite the near blinding light, smiling. This was nice, you almost thought last night was a dream. It felt too good to be true. 

“You make a good pillow, Parker,” you hummed, smiling wide when you heard his soft chuckle.

“I’m glad I can be useful in more than just school,” you rolled your eyes at his joke, “speaking of, we have class today, we should probably leave early so you can get changed.”

You looked down at yourself, raising a brow. It was true, you probably shouldn’t go in only Peter’s clothes. You could only imagine the stares and grins you’d earn from practically everyone that would come across you. You snuck a quick kiss against his cheek before you sat up, looking around. You seemed to have ended up on the other side of Peter through the night, the door closest to him now instead of you. He sat up and stretched, slowly climbing out of bed and moving to his closet while you lazily plopped back against his pillows, tugging the sheets up to your chin.

“Y/n,” he looked over his shoulder, “you can’t lay in bed all day.”

“Watch me.”

He rolled his eyes and looked ahead, pulling his shirt off of his head and sifting through his clothes. You found it interesting how he never opened the door all the way, you imagined it would be a lot easier to look through his own stuff if the door wasn’t only partially opened. You stole another glance at him and smiled, biting your lip. Was this even real?

“You know, midterms are over, do we really need to go to class?”

He pulled a shirt on and looked back at you, “Don’t do that,” he laughed, “who knows, maybe something important is going to be happening today, c’mon, get up,” he approached the bed and you tugged the blanket over your face, “y/n, c’mon,” you felt his grip at the blanket and it was ripped off of you.

You gasped and sat up, “Peter!” you couldn’t contain your laughter, “fine, fine I’ll get up, jeez!” 

You kicked your legs off the edge of the bed and stood up, looking over at your clothes that sat on the floor, walking over to collect them. Summer was fast approaching and you were glad, you really didn’t want to go to class but Peter had a point. Only a few more weeks and you’d be out on summer vacation. Perhaps you could take a vacation as soon as classes were done. You could only think of the possibilities, it would be rather fun to get away with Peter, MJ, and Ned for a few days. 

You looked back at him and shrugged, “I think I’m ready to go whenever you are,” you held up your clothes, “thank God I only live a few blocks away because I already look bizarre walking out in your clothes while holding mine.”

Peter looked at your clothes and slowly nodded, “I can see how that would be awkward,” he shifted his gaze to you and looked you down and up before turning away, a red hue hitting his cheeks, “anyway, we’re gonna be late, c’mon.”

\--------------------------------------------------

You opted to only change out of Peters shorts and left the rest of your clothes at home. He had seemed flustered earlier when he noticed you were still wearing his shirt. You had no shame, even though it had some lame science pun on the front of it. You had made it to class on time thanks to Peter insisting you guys leave right away. Though, contrary to his belief this class had little to nothing of importance. 

In fact, the class had only lasted about twenty minutes instead of the normal two-hour long block. Instead of a normal class discussion, the professor had announced that the next class meeting would be a potluck and movie day. Everyone had to sign up on a list to figure out what they would bring and you and Peter teamed up to bring in a chocolate cake. You were honestly surprised that Ned hadn’t made a single comment through the entirety of the class. 

Once the professor wrapped things up and let everyone go early, you found yourself walking by Ned and Peter. The two of them were busy laughing it up about how short todays class was before going on to discuss their choices of what to bring. Ned looked over at you and glanced at your shirt, raising a brow.

“I didn’t know you had that shirt too,” he laughed, “Peter and I have that shirt, oh, you know what,” he pointed at your shirt and looked at Peter, “We should all wear our shirts to the next class and match. It’d be very...fitting.”

You couldn't help but laugh at his pun, though, you had to break it to him somehow that this was actually not your shirt, “well, Ned, I don’t mean to be the bearer of bad news but uh...It’s Peter’s shirt,” you paused when you noticed his shocked look, “I-I got caught in the rain last night when I went over to his place, he just gave it to me to have something dry.”

He was silent for a long moment before he looked at Peter, “she slept over?”

“Ned, I’m right here,” you didn’t enjoy how he was talking to you as if you weren’t there.

He swung his head to look at you, “you slept over,” he wiggled an eyebrow, “I didn’t know you were allowed to have girls stay overnight, Peter!” 

You turned your head to look at Peter, noticing how he looked back and forth between you two, “I-I’m not...really supposed to but,” he rubbed his arm, “We were studying, it-It’s a long story.”

Oh. He didn’t want to admit the events that occurred last night. Perhaps he wasn’t ready to admit to your new relationship, either. You bit your lip, would he ever, you wondered.

“You were helping me with my article, don’t you remember?” He snapped his head to look at you with a questioning look, “The article I’m writing for work, remember,” Ned was watching the interaction between you two, “It was late and I ended up falling asleep on the couch,” you looked at Ned and laughed awkwardly, “best part is, barely anything got written, I can’t figure out what I want to write about for this dumb promotion.”

You clung to the hope that Ned would believe you and the confused expression on his face slowly morphed into understanding, “oh! You were telling me about that before, you still don’t have anything for it?”

Your lips pressed together in a tight-lipped smile as you slowly nodded, “Yeah, nope, don’t know what I’m gonna do about it, either, anyway, I’m gonna go grab some food at home before I have to go to work,” you lifted your hand to wave goodbye, “I’ll see you guys.”

You turned away without another word, you weren’t upset, per se. You just wanted to know what this was. Did he want to warm everyone up to the idea that you two were testing the waters of a relationship or were you just going to be another one of his secrets? Did you misread the situation? Maybe you really were just trying things out, maybe he didn’t want to have the labels yet. You were so confused, you just wanted to know. 

Just as you were going to cross the street to get off of campus grounds, you could hear a familiar voice calling your name. You glanced over your shoulder and noticed Peter running to catch up with you. He didn’t even seem out of breath once he stood by your side, it was impressive.

“Wh-what was that back there,” he asked, adjusting his backpack.

You looked up at him, “I was just covering up our tracks, that’s what it sounded like you were trying to do so I figured I’d help,” you looked ahead, beginning to cross the street when the walk signal switched from the red hand to the white walking symbol, “Pete, I need to know, what’s going on?”

He gripped the straps of his backpack and stuck by your side, “what do you mean?”

“With us, I just need to know so I don’t get my hopes up or like...slip up in front of people, you know?”

You looked at him and noticed him fiddling with the straps of his backpack. He looked embarrassed. He didn’t know what to say, he knew he had feelings for you but he was worried about moving too fast and making it public. There was a lot on his mind already, this was just an added worry, small, but a worry nonetheless. 

“I just don’t really like... How do I say this...”

“You don’t like to kiss and tell?” You prayed this was what he was going to say.

He nodded, “I just want to see how this rides out first, I know Ned will be completely in our business whenever he finds out and I just want...I just want to enjoy it for what it is right now.”

You found yourself playing with your fingers, nervous, “Well, I don’t mind that, I just wanted to know so I didn’t mess up,” you lifted your hand and pulled a tuft of hair behind your ear.

He looked at you and smiled, “well, I’d walk you all the way back but I uh..I have somewhere I have to be right now,” he pointed his thumb backward, “I have to talk to someone, you okay to make it back on your own?”

You rolled your eyes and tried to push down the thirst you felt, you wanted to know more of where he was going but you wouldn’t pry, “It’s not that far, I’m just gonna make a sandwich or something at home and get to the Bugle,” you turned to face him, “but thank you, Pete,” you hesitated before you stepped forward, wrapping your arms around him.

When he reciprocated it meant the world to you. You felt a fire in your stomach burning to life and you just wanted to hold yourself there. The whole world could be falling apart around you but you’d still find safety in his embrace. You slowly drew yourself away and offered a warm smile, happy with how your short talk with him went. You were glad he followed you and wanted to start a conversation. This was all new to you and it was a little nerve-wracking, but he made it so much easier.

“I’ll text you,” he waved, “let me know how work goes.” 

“I will, Pete,” you hummed, slowly turning and continuing on without him.

You didn’t know why you felt excited to go to work. Perhaps the idea that you and Peter were working something out together just put new light to everything. You couldn’t wait to talk to him, you couldn’t wait to receive even a single text from him that would threaten to distract you from your work. You had been assigned to a new story to work on and it wasn’t anything groundbreaking, but you still couldn’t afford to get too distracted with a conversation with Peter.

Or at least, you shouldn’t. Though, rules were always meant to be broken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for keeping up with this fic!!! I'm gonna try to dedicate more time to it so it might take a bit longer for me to update. for a while there I was updating like every other day. I'm gonna try to update maybe once or twice a week now so I don't go crazy and rush chapters yknow? Anyways, let me know what you think in the comments aaaand the next chapter is gonna be a fun one!


	11. Bloodline

You dreaded walking into the building, but alas money was money. Jonah had assigned you to an article that was interesting, but you wanted to figure out the whole case with the Maggia and the Riker breakout. You walked into the elevator and turned around, pressing the button. When the doors began to close you heard loud footsteps before a body squeezed in between the doors.

“Jesus, Eddie,” you yipped as you were practically pushed against the wall of the elevator, “You know, it doesn’t hurt to wait for the next lift.”

The blonde rolled his eyes, “well I’m already running late,” he looked you down and up, “you look kinda different, what’s with that?”

The subject change was sudden and undesired. When you went home you changed into a more office appropriate outfit being a long black pencil skirt and a white button up blouse. You pulled your hair into a slick ponytail and even added a necklace to add flare to the outfit. The only thing you were missing was a face of makeup. His comment left a bad taste in your mouth (though, most of the things he said had a tendency of doing that).

“I dunno,” your voice was flat and you looked ahead, why did this elevator take forever to climb? 

Eddie went silent for a moment before clearing his throat, “I heard Jonah put you on a drug case,” he looked at you with a grin, “sounds right up your alley.”

You adjusted the purse strap on your shoulder, “Yeah? Well I’d rather be working on the case I thought would lead to a promotion but... I’ll take what I can get.”

He glanced at you and shoved his hands in his pockets. There was a time where you truly enjoyed his company, though these days everything he said was borderline inappropriate. He’d made other women in the office uncomfortable, too. You were surely going to speak up if he tried anything on you. 

The elevator doors finally slid open and you bumped into Eddie’s shoulder as you exited. You found your way to your desk and sat down, setting your purse under the table and turning your desktop on. You had a lot of research you had to do if you wanted to write anything that was even mediocre to your boss. Normally, the Bugle wouldn’t publish news like this but after the prison break harder drugs were on the rise in the city. 

You spent a good chunk of your shift scrolling through previous articles covering the usage of drugs before this alliance of villains plagued the streets of the city. You learned that the sudden spike of these drugs happened nearly overnight with cases of overdoses and smaller crimes linked to these drugs. The drug most prominent during all of this? Methamphetamines. In the past few days alone NYPD had busted six small meth labs and arrested everyone that had to do with it. 

Your face was tense, you looked focused. What was the reason for this rise? You just couldn’t figure it out, you were sure that these bigger name criminals weren’t just passing out drugs in their free time. You weren’t even completely sure what they were doing. You tapped a pen against your desk while you scrolled through another story, but you were absolutely stuck.

“How goes the article?” 

You jumped when you heard Eddie’s voice, “what, oh,” he snapped you from your focus and it took you a moment to gather the appropriate response, “it’s... going...It’s just frustrating because I can see there is a sudden spike but I can’t find the correlation between the prison break and the drug spike,” you lifted the pen to your chin, “I don’t think there is one, if I’m being honest.”

You looked up at him and watched him raise a brow, “you know he isn’t gonna like the sound of that,” he pointed to Jamisons closed off office, “you better pull somethin’ out of your ass, make somethin’ up.”

“Haha... very funny,” you stared at him when he tilted his head, “w—wait, you’re not joking, are you?”

He pushed some of your paperwork over and leaned against your desk, “I’m just sayin’, if you wanna make it to the big leagues you gotta... expand on the truth a little, so to speak.”

“You mean lie to the public?”

He looked away and crossed his arms over his chest, “when you put it like that it sounds fucked up”

You sat straight, “that’s because it is fucked up! We’re reporters, people are relying on us to give them the full, honest story, Eddie!”

Eddie threw his hands up in defense, “whoa whoa, I’m not sayin’ to tell em’ that the octopus guy is givin’ meth to poison everyone or anything. Just somethin’ small,” he shrugged, “somethin’ that Jonah can get behind and somethin’ the lovely people of New York can understand,” he sounded sour.

You stared at him for a long moment before pushing your paperwork back to the corner of your desk to shoo him away, “I’m not gonna do that, sorry.”

He stood up straight and looked at the stack you pushed back into place, “you know, you’re not a bad reporter, it’s a shame you haven’t gotten that promotion.”

You flicked your gaze back up onto him, anger beginning to burn in your chest. He was quiet but you could tell he was studying your response and calculating another comeback.

“How are you and that Parker kid?”

“Excuse me?”

“Well, you always said you didn’t like him but I dunno,” he pressed a hand against your desk, “I always got a different vibe, but uh... if you’re still single I may have a prospect for you,” he grinned and looked around before continuing, “I can get you that promotion, but you’ll have to do a little something for me—“

You stood up so fast that your chair nearly wheeled against the wall behind you, “that is enough, Eddie,” you looked at your computer and turned the monitor off, “You’re a pig, you know that?”

You were gathering your belongings and he was taken aback by your comments, “Jeez, wasn’t gonna say to sleep with me or anything, I can’t even get a date?”

You slung your purse over your shoulder and pushed your seat in, “I’m not selling out for a promotion, I’m confident in my reporting skills,” you walked around the desk.

He reached up and grabbed you arm, his brows furrowed and his features wrinkled in confusion, “where are you going?”

You snapped your head back to look at him and you tore your arm out of his grip, “I’m going to do some research,” you snapped back, “I’m gonna prove you and Jonah wrong, I don’t need you for a promotion,” there was poison in your words, “I’m gonna blow you all out of the water with this one.”

Eddie pushed off of your desk and tried to follow you, “you’re gonna need some help, aren’t you,” he threw his arm back and motioned to the window, “there’s so many meth heads out there, you need someone with you to protect you from that, or at least help you with finding the right places!”

You paused and your heels clicked when you brought your legs together. You felt a smile creeping over your visage and you slowly turned your head to peek back at the taller man behind you.

“I don’t need you, Eddie.”

You could see the shock painted across his face. You tore his whole ‘ladies man’ play down and left him to crumble. You made your way to the elevator and pressed the button, not even daring to look back. You were proud of that, you supposed you could be brave sometimes. In that moment you felt on top of the world. 

You entered the elevator and looked down at your phone, opening up the Uber app. You figured you’d start your investigation in Brooklyn as you had found out that the boom in drugs was slowly trickling toward that area. As soon as you reached the first floor you ordered the ride and made your way out of the bugle, opening up your messaging app.

Y/n: guess who’s getting a head start with her new story?

Y/n: this gal!!

Peter: what did jameson give you?

You looked up when you heard a honk, damn that was fast. You adjusted your purse and walked over, opening the door and peeking in to see the balding man staring at you, “y/n?”

“That’s me,” you slid into the backseat and shut the door, buckling yourself in.

You looked at your phone and hesitated. He’d be worried if you told him where you were going and why. You didn’t want him to get in the way of your shot at this promotion, things were going to be fine! 

Y/n: it’s a surprise ;)

You glanced out the window, sighing when you noticed the amount of traffic. You had to keep reminding yourself that summer was coming. An unplanned vacation was just around the corner. You just simply had to get through a few more weeks and you’d be able to take sometime off. For now, it was time to work hard. 

—————------------------

The streets of brooklyn were just as you remembered. The last time you were here was on a field trip back in highschool. Not much had changed, apparently, but you didn’t mind that. You began forward and looked around, curious. For a place that was suddenly stricken by drug related crimes things looked calm. 

Anxiety began to flood your system. You were beginning to doubt your journalism skills. You were amateur at best and you were never going to make it to the big leagues, not like this. You stifled a deep breath and shook your head, snapping back into reality when you heard a door slam.

“Don’t you go around slammin’ doors like that, boy, who do you think pays for that shit?” A young woman yelled at a taller man who ran down the steps and rushed away from the house.

You watched him take long strides that quickly turned into a jog before looking at the woman. She sat on the top step and lowered her head into her hands. You could hear her groan and suck in a breath.

“Miss,” you approached her, “is everything okay?”

She lifted her head and scowled at you, “who the hell are you?”

“S-sorry I didn’t mean to be rude,” you gulped, “I’m y/n, I was just on a walk and I saw what happened,” you rubbed your arm, “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

The tan woman pulled a squished pack of cigarettes from her back pocket and fished one out, “I’m as fine as I can be,” she placed the butt between her lips and removed a lighter from her front left pocket, “Just the same shit but a different day with that man,” she lit the cigarette and sucked in a deep breath, “I can’t stand what this world is comin’ to.”

You looked at her, confused.

“All this stupid gang shit,” she blew her smoke away from you, “That man’s my brother, he fell on his ass a year ago cuz he was caught up in the wrong scene,” she pursed her lips, “got clean and sober when he moved in with me, but I’m pretty sure he’s back on his shit,” she took another drag of her cigarette, “found a flute in his room, he says it’s from before but why the hell would you keep something like that?”

Your brows furrowed, “I’m on your side there,” you crossed your arms, “do you get into fights often?”

She leaned back and took the cigarette from her mouth, tossing it on the ground and stepping on it, “it don’t matter.”

“W-why?” 

She flicked her glare upon you again, “I don’t feel real comfortable tellin’ my life to a complete stranger, what are you even doing here?”

You took a step back, “I didn’t mean to intrude, I’m sorry,” you looked back, “I’ll get out of your hair now.”

She laughed quietly and shook her head, “I can tell you ain’t from around here,” you glanced over at her, “don’t go stickin’ your nose in places it don’t belong, especially with whatever the fuck has been happening with these ‘super villains’ or whatever you wanna call em”

You glanced back at her and slowly nodded, shoving your hands in your pockets and walking forward. This was affecting innocent people and it wasn’t fair to them. It was affecting the lives of families who have struggled with addiction ridden members and people who were beginning to dabble into the crime world alike. This was a bigger problem than the media was making it, but you knew that it was a diversion. This was set up to stray the public eye away from the plans of those that broke out of the prison, that much you were sure of.

You had to admit to yourself, though, you knew nothing about drugs. The only knowledge you had were from movies and shows like Breaking Bad. You drummed your fingers against your arm before sighing and rolling your eyes. You weren’t meant for this case, there was no real reason for you to be here, what were you going to fix anyway? Your heart wasn’t in the right place, all you could think about was that stupid promotion. Surely there was someone better fit for this article. 

Your brows knit forward and you spun on your heels, quickly walking the opposite direction. You grabbed your phone and drew it close, dialing Peters number. Your brain was sending you into a dark place, you didn’t want to feel the fears or anxieties, you just wanted to be able to succeed in the job that was important to you. 

“H-Hey! You’ve reached Peter, leave a message and I’ll get back to you!”

You huffed a sigh, “Peter,” you whimpered after you heard the beep, “I’m gonna come over, I thought I could do this but I don’t think I can-- I just feel really shitty about my job right now and I just don’t know what to do,” you had to choke back the tears, “Text me, okay?”

You pushed the phone back into your pocket after hanging up, sighing and flipping through the apps of your phone again, “Hey,” the voice caught you off guard, “Sorry, I was a dick and I shouldn’t have treated you like that, you said your name was y/n, right?”

You peered over your shoulder and met eyes with the woman from before, slowly nodding, “Y-yeah-- and it’s okay, you were obviously going through something and I shouldn’t have intruded on that.”

She shook her head, her short bob swinging against her cheeks as she did so, “I do have to say though, I don’t think you have any business being here,” she pushed her hands into her pockets, “There’s been a lot of crime here, it’s not lookin’ too good.”

“I uh,” you scratched your wrist, “I’m actually a reporter for the Daily Bugle.”

She shot her glare at you before rolling her eyes, “of course you are,” she scoffed and turned away, “do me a favor, get out of here before you get into trouble.”

You followed her, “please help me.”

She paused and you watched her body stiffen, “Help you how?”

“Let me interview you, I just need something to get this article through.”

“If it gets you out of here, then fine,” she looked back at you, her green eyes seering through you, “come on, I’d rather do this inside,” she looked away and began walking back to her home.

You swallowed hard and looked at your phone, shoving it back into your pocket and rushing after the girl before you. She led you into her small, messy home and had you take a seat in the dining room. She took a seat across from you and pulled the ashtray from the center of the table close.

“So, what do you want to know?”

You fidgeted in your seat and looked around, “when did you notice your brother getting back into...well--”

“Meth,” she finished your question for you, “He’s been struggling a lot recently and with people who are recovering addicts that’s the hardest time for them,” she withdrew the pack of cigarettes again and pulled one close to her lips, “I had my suspicions, he was acting weird for a week or two now but,” she took a drag after lighting it, “after the whole super villain breakout he’s just been acting completely psycho.” 

You looked at your purse and unzipped it, pulling out a notepad and pen, “can you elaborate?”

You watched her brow twitch when she watched you began scribbling notes, “well, for starters he’s out all the time. When he first started using he normally stayed home and just kept to himself,” she let out a thick puff of smoke, “he’s ballsy now, he cooks the shit in his fuckin’ room.”

You lifted your head, “excuse me?”

She cackled, “what, you don’t believe me?” she stood up, “come on, let me show you then miss reporter.”

You stared up at the woman, slowly moving from your seat and hesitantly following her. You weren’t sure what to expect at this point. She guided you through the short hall to a door that was half off its hinges. She glanced at you and you were sure she could see just how nervous you were. She opened the door nonetheless. Bunsen burners, beakers, and buckets littered his floor and the table that sat in the far corner of the room. That’s when the smell hit you. You shot your hand up to cover your mouth and nose and stumbled away, coughing. Who could live like this?

“I told you, he doesn’t give a shit,” she shut the door behind her and looked at you, “It’s like his personality did a complete flip. Now all he does is cook up his shit and go out. I never know where he’s going either,” she crossed her arms and followed you down the hall, “I’m always scared that I’m gonna get a cop at my door asking me to identify a body, y’know?”

You leaned over and sucked in a deep breath, still disgusted by the smell of the other room, “how do you live like that,” you stood straight and looked back at her, “he’s endangering your life, too.”

She pulled her lips together and shrugged, “he’s my brother, I’d do a lot to make sure he’s not out there on the streets,” she mumbled, “I’d rather know that he’s here in a safe place then out there fending for himself on the streets,” you met her gaze and saw the pain glistening in her eyes, “love makes you do crazy things.”

You couldn’t even think of what to say. People all over were living like this after this sudden drug rush. There was only so much the police could do--hell-- there was only so much Spider-man could do. If things weren’t solved soon you were sure this problem would become a widespread crisis. Your brows furrowed and you looked over at the notebook that sat on the dining room table still, unsure of what to do.

“What do you do to keep yourself distracted,” she looked at you when you piped up, “I mean, it’s not like he’s secretive or anything but you know what he’s up to. How do you stay sane?”

She walked over to the table and picked up your notebook, “I have my own vices,” she murmured, walking over and handing you the book, “I act hard and strong, but I’m the same as him, I’d say.”

“How?”

“I rely on other things to get me through the day. They won’t kill me as fast as the things he uses will, but it’s still something that takes time off of my life,” she placed a hand on your arm, “we all have things we don’t want to admit,” she looked down, “I think that was enough, you should really get out of here, I don’t know when my brother will be back.”

You clutched the notebook close and looked at her after she guided you to the door, “what’s your name?”

She shook her head, “I’d rather stay anonymous, do me a favor,” she opened the door and led you out, “don’t come back here, I don’t want to see you gettin’ caught up in this shit.” 

She shut the door abruptly, leaving you with no time to say a thing. Your brows furrowed and you looked down at your notebook. It wasn’t much, but you had something. You pulled your phone out to order another Uber but stopped when you noticed the notifications from Peter.

Peter: I got your message, I’m home now

Peter: when are you going to be coming by?

\---------------------------------------

Peter quietly slid through his window and carefully shut it, not wanting to make a single noise to alert May. He dropped his backpack and pressed the button in the center of his suit, letting it fall off of his body and hit the floor. He groaned quietly and turned, kicking it off and shoving it into the bag, pulling his phone out soon after.

“What the--” he narrowed his eyes when he noticed the missed call, drawing his phone to his ear to listen, “why didn’t Karen tell me,” he chuffed, drawing the phone away and quickly shooting a text.

He kicked the backpack under his bed and walked over to his desk, glancing over the mess he had left. He was working on making some more web fluid since his recent missions have left him drastically low. He was nearly done with creating enough for another cartridge, perhaps he had time to finish it before you had arrived. 

He sat at his desk and began whisking and working away at the solution in one of the beakers. He made a mental note to put away some extra time to work on more, figuring he was going to need it for the coming days. He sighed and leaned back, funneling the fluid into a cartridge and opening a drawer in the desk, tossing it in there.

“Peter, sweetie,” May called, “y/n is here!”

Peter shot his head up and looked at his door, clenching his jaw, “shit,” he whispered, “u-uh-- I’ll be out in a minute!”

He stood up and looked around. There was a lot that needed to be hidden in a short amount of time. He scooped up a few of the dirtied beakers and rushed over to his closet, trying to set them down as quietly as he could. He looked back at the table and groaned when he noticed a few smaller objects laying around.

“Hey, Pete,” he could hear your voice coming closer to his room and soon enough he heard a soft knock at the door, “can I come in?”

“U-uh-- Gimmie a minute!” he ran back toward the desk and grabbed the remainder of the items, shoving them all into his closet and trying to close the door, “come on you stupid--” the door wouldn’t shut all the way, he had no time he had to leave it, “Uh-- sorry just--just hold on--!” 

He looked down at himself, noticing he was still only in his boxers. Great, Great! He turned and looked around his room, spinning around a few times before he grabbed a T-shirt, sloppily throwing it on and grabbing a pair of sweats. He practically leapt into the pants before looking over at the closet door, seeing it slowly swinging open. He cursed under his breath and leaned over, trying to shove it shut again.

The creaking of his bedroom door caused him to snap away from the closet and stand stiff in front of his bed, his eyes meeting yours. The lump in his throat bobbed when he saw you slowly shimmy into his room and shut the door behind you, a defeated look on her face.

“Peter,” your voice was quiet, “sorry if I caught you off guard, were you busy?”

“Wh-wha,” he was still out of breath, “no- no no, I wasn’t doing anything, uh,” he chewed on his cheeks, “I got your voicemail um...wh-what’s up?”

He watched you play with a glass of water, a notebook tucked under your arm, “I went to Brooklyn to try to scope out what’s been going on but I just couldn’t find much..”

“You still haven’t told me what you got assigned to, I don’t really know what you’re talking about right now,” Peter murmured.

Your eyes lit up, “s-sorry,” you mumbled, “Jameson assigned me to the drug boom, I wanted to try to find something in the field rather than just research but it didn’t work the greatest,” He moved out of the way when you walked passed him and sat on the bed, “I ran into someone though, her brother is affected by this and I just felt really bad,” she looked up at him, “Peter, there’s so much going on personally and just in New York in general right now, it’s starting to scare me.”

He looked down at the floor for a long moment, he understood just how crazy life had been for you, in fact he was in his own predicament. He looked up and met your gaze, his heart fluttering when he saw the way your lips turned up as you began to speak again.

“I mean, I guess the good part was I did get to interview one person...It wasn’t much but,” he watched you heave a sigh, “I just don’t know what I’m going to write and there’s just so much going on, there are so many innocent people being hurt, what if Spider-man isn’t enough?”

Peter could feel every muscle in his body tense. Your words hit him hard, harder than you’d ever know. He lifted a hand and scratched at his neck, unsure of what to say. It wasn’t that he was offended, he was worried. What if you were right? He was only one man and there was six of them and a load more crimes wrecking the city. He couldn’t reach any of the avengers after the funeral and hasn’t spoken to most of them since. He was all alone here.

“I don’t think we should worry about that kind of stuff,” he finally spoke, “you’ve got an article to worry about, right? Let’s take it one thing at a time,” he moved to sit next to you, “you said you’re covering the drug boom, right? I’ve heard a few things about it so I’ve already researched it a little to see what was happening, so what do you need to know?”

He felt the fears melt away when he watched your slumped physique lift into something much perkier, “Seriously? T-Tell me just all that you know!”

He leaned back and blinked a few times, “u-uh,” his voice cracked, “well, there was a report that Spider-man was in Brooklyn not too long ago, there was a huge drug bust there,” he didn’t want to make eye contact with you, “They think it’s the prisoners that broke out of the Raft that are behind most of it.”

You jumped forward and set the glass of water down on the corner of his bedside table, lifting your notebook and beginning to scribble notes down. Peter leaned over to take a peek at what you were writing, a smile crossing his cheeks. It felt good to be able to help you with this, it was small but it was something. Peter lifted his head when he heard footsteps coming from May’s room.

“I’m gonna run to get some takeout kids, I’ll be back,” she swung her door shut behind her and rushed down the hall, “call me if you need anything!”

Peter tensed and felt the hairs on his arms lift up when the reverberation from the door shook the walls. His table was pressed flat against the thin wall and shook in unison, knocking the glass over. The brunette nearly dove out of bed to catch the glass before it fell on the floor, though the water had already spilled everywhere.

“Damn it,” he swore under his breath, listening to the front door shut, “Hold on, I’m gonna clean this up and get you more water,” he looked at you and before you could even try to apologize he shook his head, “it’s not your fault, it’s just water anyway, gimme a minute.”

You tucked your hair behind your ear and stood up, jumping when you heard the sound of glass hitting something from the closet. You looked over with furrowed brows and took a step closer, gasping and jumping back when the door swung open from a pile of beakers, mixers, and containers of god knows what falling out. You paused and took a moment to look at everything and you felt your blood run cold.

You’d seen this before. You saw most of this in that mans bedroom-- was this what Peter had been hiding all along? You clenched your teeth and looked up when you saw him slide into sight. His gaze fell upon some of the broken glass then quickly slid back up to your angered expression.

“You lied to me,” the words came out as a snarl.

“W-what are you talking about,” Peters confused expression only added fuel to the fire.

“Stop playing dumb, Peter,” you shouted, “all the times you lied before, the thing you’ve been hiding-- you’re part of the problem-- I can’t believe this,” you shook your head and motioned toward the items that fell out of his closet, “you’re a dealer-- you cook-- I-I just can’t believe--”

“N-no,” the rag that Peter held slipped out of his hands, “what-- No seriously let me explain I-I can explain--”

“What is it then, Peter?”

He froze. He looked down at the solution that had dripped out of one of the beakers and panned his gaze back to you. He choked up, he simply couldn't find the words to say at this point. Should he dare to come up with another lie or just come out with the truth. 

You were becoming impatient, “Tell me the truth, Peter!”

He flinched when you raised your voice, looking down slowly, “I--I can’t,” he whispered.

“You can’t--” tears pricked at your eyes, “Peter, I’m hurting already, so much shit has happened and now I find out that you cook meth? Are you kidding me?” You sobbed, “If you think I’m just gonna sit around and believe your lies you’re wrong,” you tried to wipe the tears from your face but you were drowning, “that life will get you killed, Peter,” you couldn’t contain your emotions anymore, “and that’s going to kill me-- b-because I’m not strong, I-I can’t protect you!”

“Y/n,” Peter stepped closer.

“No,” You widened the distance, “I can’t keep forgiving you like this, I can’t do this Peter, I have to go,” you walked passed him.

He turned his head and simply watched you exit the room. He watched you walk out and remained silent, slowly looking down at the mess before him and flinching when he heard the front door slam shut. He turned on his heels and lifted his hands, running his fingers through his hair. He spun back around and kicked one of the mixers, shouting a profanity before dropping to the floor and sinking into himself. 

That was the last straw. He had so many chances to tell you and he didn’t. He was sure you wouldn’t talk to him again, he should have just told you in the beginning. 

He really up this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for my absence, a lot has been going on. I saw far from home at the midnight premier and i have so much MUSE TO WRITE!! This chapter was a rough one at the end, it’s time for some angst baby >). Let me know what you think!!


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